Aaron Woell’s Nov. 10 column contained some major errors. His concern that students at universities in the Bible Belt may decide to not fund the College Democrats is misplaced.

It is illegal for public university student fees to be used for partisan political advocacy. College Democrats are being zero-funded right now at public universities.

But Aaron Woell does succeed at showing some of the peasant mentality affecting liberal thinking. He states that if students decide where they want their fee money to go through a check-off system, they will be tying the hands of student government. So what?

Too many liberals are convinced that wise cultural elites are needed to do things that individuals can do for themselves and worry what will happen if people make their own decisions. This isn’t national security; this is deciding if your $20 goes to the ACLU or the Potato Appreciation Club.

Students should not be forced to support ideological organizations they disagree with as a condition of enrolling at a public university. It is a minority of students who want the option of not funding objectionable groups. Like being a conscientious objector in the military, he option is there to protect a minority who object to war.

I would be surprised if more than 1 percent of students would participate in a check-off system, student governments could still spend the rest.

Students who feel strongly about being coerced to fund ideologies they find repugnant should have the option not to.

If Mr. Woell really wants to protect the viewpoints of the minority, how about these students?

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Benjamin Studenski

Senior

Industrial engineering