The East Central Indiana Star Press reported in October about conservative students at Ball State University upset over a litany of vegetarian and left wing speakers, apparently in part by BSU history professor Abel Alves.
One of the amusing details of the story is that BSU is paying for Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser to speak at the university in November. Schlosser apparently took one look at BSU and said “supersize me” as he will earn $15,000 for four hours of speaking duties on campus. Perhaps Schlosser should write a follow-up, Outrageous Speaking Fees: The Dark Side of Paying $15K for Anti-McDonald’s Rants. Or maybe he could investigate exactly what they are putting in the water at universities that is clearly affecting the judgment of those responsible for budgeting for speakers.
According to the Star Press, students at Ball State will also be treated to “a philosopher who will argue that eating meat is immoral [Mylan Engel Jr.], organic farmers, and a representative of The Humane Society of the United States [Chris Bedford].”
One of the conservative students who objects to this litany of speakers paid for out of student’s tuition dollars, Amanda Carpenter, believes that history professor Abel Alves is behind the selection.
Alves is an animal rights activist who, along with his wife Carol Blakney, was convicted of trespassing at a pig farm in Indiana. Blakney had filed a complaint against the pig farm two months prior to the October 12, 2002 trespass. A witness and friend of the pig farmer testified that Alves entered the property, ignoring a prominently displayed “No Trespassing” sign which Alves walked past, and took photographs of the farm. The two were each fined $1.
Sources:
Hog-farm trespass conviction upheld. Seth Slabaugh, The Star Press (Indiana), October 2004.
BSU speaker promotes vegetarianism in opposition to factory farms. Seth Slalbaugh, The Star Press (Indiana), October 2004.
Conservative students uneasy, angry. Seth Slabaugh, The Star Press (Indiana), October 2004.