Fighting ‘PC’ . . . and Enjoying It!
Brandeis Seniors shake up school, state with organization and publication

They committed two terrible sins for college students in Massachusetts. They were conservative and they told the truth. The response from the student senate at Brandeis University was "nothing short of censorship, plain and simple," say Bryan Rudnick and Jim Couture. But that was nothing compared to what happened this spring when the two seniors brought Charlton Heston to campus.

"The administration fought us almost every step along the way by making outrageous demands. Until the media started to report their attempts to stop the speech, the administration put obstacle after obstacle in our way."

All too often, people back down in the face of adversity and controversy. This can especially be the case when it comes to young people. Not only do these two not back down on their principles, they have a good time fighting for what they believe is right.

Both have been in the middle of a great deal of controversy over their four years at one of Commonwealth’s top institutions of higher learning. While others may have gone quietly in the face of this controversy, Rudnick and Couture have not only persevered, but prospered as well.

In the spring of 1997 Rudnick founded Freedom Magazine, a conservative student publication, and Couture took over the reins of the Brandeis College Republicans.

Last spring, the Brandeis student senate stripped Freedom Magazine of its funding after a series of articles critical of an increase in the mandatory student activity fee. This was the culmination of a series of events that included a student senator destroying copies of the magazine and another senator threatening Rudnick during a live broadcast of a senate meeting.
But the free speech abuses didn’t stop there.

This past March, a coalition of student groups at Brandeis, led by the College Republicans and Freedom Magazine, brought Charlton Heston to speak at Brandeis.

This time it was not the students, but the administration trying to stop conservatives from being heard.

"But we persevered and the event was a huge success," says Couture. 
"Hundreds of students got to hear Mr. Heston speak about issues ranging from political correctness to gun control."

Couture and Rudnick have fought to combat the leftist bias and political correctness that permeates colleges and universities in Massachusetts and around the country. "All too often, liberal professors and administrators seem more concerned with ‘thought control’ than about promoting an open discourse on the issues," said Rudnick, "That’s not what college is supposed to be about."

For their work in promoting conservative principles and free speech during their collegiate careers, the Rudnick and Couture duo has received many accolades. Rudnick has been a guest on radio talk shows around the country and has lectured on the problems of political correctness on college campuses.

Couture received the 1999 Morton’s Choice Award for Excellence in Campus Journalism given by the Leadership Institute for his articles exposing corruption and liberal bias in student government. He was recently elected Chairman of Massachusetts Young Americans for Freedom and named to the Young Americans for Freedom national Board of Directors.
 
 

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