A TA at the UW secretly recorded and photographed a group of conservatives — all before cyber bullying them. This raises a serious question: will this TA grade conservatives differently than liberal students?
READ: https://t.co/qmwK4X0rTC pic.twitter.com/43WOjBc02V
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 15, 2018
A teaching assistant at the University of Washington secretly recorded three leaders of the College Republicans chapter planning an event to celebrate the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh then tweeted a photo of the students, asking followers what she should "throw at them" and urging the event venue to cancel.
KTTH Seattle talk-host Jason Rantz reported the tweet by Rebecca Ferber, a graduate teacher assistant in the Department of English at the Seattle campus.
Ferber tweeted a poll to her followers on Oct. 4: "Sitting on the UW campus next to a table of white male students organizing a 'Beers for Brett' event. What should I throw at them?"
She provided three options: her water bottle, her backpack, or "my insides."
She then tweeted a photo of the students, taken without their knowledge, with the text, "This is what they look like."
Ferber also tagged the venue, Shultzy's Bar and Grill: "@shultzys there is a group of UW students organizing a 'Beers for Brett' event for tomorrow if Kavanaugh is confirmed. I hope you won't allow these men to celebrate the success of putting a rapist on the Supreme Court and enact this kind of violence on the U District."
She tweeted to a follower that she "recorded their entire conversation on my phone and going back through to see if there is any useful information."
The students were freshmen Zach Wildfang and Cameron Edwards, and UW College Republicans President Chevy Swanson.
"We were just talking, hanging out, having fun," Edwards explained in a radio interview with Rantz. "It's pretty ridiculous that people can just dox you whenever they want."
Doxxing in the practice of releasing on the web personal information of opponents.
Swanson, according to KTTH, filed a complaint with the university at the urging of President Ana Mari Cauce.
Rantz said he has confirmed that the university is investigating the complaint but has yet to meet directly with any of the three students.
Wildfang and Edwards said they are not asking for Ferber to be fired. However, they want to ensure that political bias never leads to students being unfairly treated in class.
Further, the Student Code of Conduct prohibits "harassment or bullying," including through Twitter.
"Where does it stop?" Wildfang asked. "This particular faculty member is just a grad student, but at what point is this OK?"
Odd man out
Wildfang and Edwards said they knew their conservative views would make life at the University of Washington a challenge.
"I'm not going to do anything against my character or values, but I'm not gonna go into hiding or give in to the ... pressure," Wildfang said. "It is assumed that you'll have the views as everyone else. And if you don't ... you're the odd man out. You're not necessarily bullied ... more like shunned."
Edwards agreed.
"I kinda knew I'd be the odd man out," he said. "So far I've been flying under the radar. But, if people want to start doing this stuff, I just say 'bring it!'"
The College Fix reported UW spokesman Victor Balta said that "due to privacy concerns, [he] would not comment on whether a review was or was not being conducted on any particular incident."
Swanson told the College Fix "the tension between liberals on campus and conservatives is getting worse."
"The idea that someone would be so mad about us being College Republicans that they would secretly and illegally record us for ‘useful information’ is crazy,” he said.
"It sounds like an attempt to gain blackmail, and that's just a very sick practice," he said. "I feel like our TAs on campus shouldn't be in the business of making students feel unwelcome or unsafe."