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CASE STUDY
CMU Valentine ’ s Day Event
In 2017 , several individual members of the Central Michigan University College Republicans distributed Valentine ’ s Day cards containing a picture of Adolf Hitler alongside the message , “ my love 4 u burns like 6,000 [ sic ] Jews .” The full student group swiftly apologized and condemned what it termed “ a very inappropriate ” prank . The university ’ s president , George Ross , quickly issued a statement of his own , acknowledging that the card ’ s language was “ protected by the First Amendment ,” but condemning it as “ unacceptable ” and “ not consistent with our values and standards .” Ross ’ s statement also called on all “ students , faculty and staff to be beacons of peace , respect , inclusivity and civility — to be role models of integrity , dignity and leadership .”