Michigan State University Professor Sued for Requiring Students to Join Leftist Advocacy Group

A college professor at Michigan State University required each of her nearly 600 students to pay a $99 membership fee to join an outside leftist political-advocacy organization she controlled. The professor then donated the proceeds of those fees to external groups, including Planned Parenthood, that engage in political advocacy that is antithetical to the religious beliefs of students Nathan Barbieri and Nolan Radomski. Two students are now suing the university for failing to correct their policies and recover student fees used to advance political messages. The case, Barbieri v. Jeitschko, is currently in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division. The lawsuit explains that the professor designed her course to promote her political views, and students should not have to wonder whether they are being defrauded into supporting political causes. The case highlights a disturbing new development where universities have moved beyond indoctrination to coerced activism, and the media’s lack of coverage is telling.