Student faces punishment for Trump image during Zoom class
Others 'offended, disrespected and taunted' by background photo of president
By WND Staff
Published August 7, 2020 at 12:45pm
President Donald J. Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Official White House photo by Tia Dufour)
A student at New Jersey's Stockton University is fighting back after the university threatened to punish him for using an image of President Trump as his background during a class held via Zoom.
Doctoral student Robert Dailyda declared on Facebook he's had enough of "the leftist agenda of BLM and the white self haters."
He faces six charges, including harassment and cyberbullying, and may have to attend a "social justice workshop" if found guilty.
"I have seen it in action in my doctoral classes at Stockton and the general media. I'm not backing down," he wrote. "If we can't get past this, ok, I'm ready to fight to the death for our count[r]y and against those that want to take it down."
"Here, Dailyda's Facebook post is clearly political hyperbole meriting the highest level of First Amendment protection," FIRE charged. "The expression here is clearly protected. It did not disrupt any university activity, nor does it amount to an unprotected true threat or harassment. ... Stockton may not permissibly use its disciplinary process to punish Dailyda for his protected political expression."
Others 'offended, disrespected and taunted' by background photo of president
Published August 7, 2020 at 12:45pm
President Donald J. Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Official White House photo by Tia Dufour)
A student at New Jersey's Stockton University is fighting back after the university threatened to punish him for using an image of President Trump as his background during a class held via Zoom.
Doctoral student Robert Dailyda declared on Facebook he's had enough of "the leftist agenda of BLM and the white self haters."
He faces six charges, including harassment and cyberbullying, and may have to attend a "social justice workshop" if found guilty.
"I have seen it in action in my doctoral classes at Stockton and the general media. I'm not backing down," he wrote. "If we can't get past this, ok, I'm ready to fight to the death for our count[r]y and against those that want to take it down."
"Here, Dailyda's Facebook post is clearly political hyperbole meriting the highest level of First Amendment protection," FIRE charged. "The expression here is clearly protected. It did not disrupt any university activity, nor does it amount to an unprotected true threat or harassment. ... Stockton may not permissibly use its disciplinary process to punish Dailyda for his protected political expression."
