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The school deans said Brashier was prohibited from “soliciting” her materials or even discussing concealed carry on campus. They even went so far as to order her to destroy all of her pamphlets.

Perhaps the CCAC deans need a refresher course in Constitutional law. It just so happens that pamphleteering is explicitly protected by the First Amendment. In the 1938 Supreme Court Case Lovell v. City of Griffin, the Court ruled that such activity fell under freedom of the press, writing:

The liberty of the press is not confined to newspapers and periodicals. It necessarily embraces pamphlets and leaflets. These indeed have been historic weapons in the defense of liberty, as the pamphlets of Thomas Paine and others in our own history abundantly attest. The press in its connotation comprehends every sort of publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion.

I previously wrote about another student who was harassed by school officials and campus police after advocating for concealed carry in a speech class.

“The Democratic Party platform is contrary to the mission of Liberty University and to Christian doctrine (supports abortion, federal funding of abortion, advocates repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, promotes the ‘LGBT’ agenda, hate crimes, which include sexual orientation and gender identity, socialism, etc.),” according to the newspaper. The Democratic group at Liberty has expressed opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage.”

Of course, Liberty U. is private, so it’s not required to be viewpoint neutral like public universities, but it is still odd to see. Liberty U. also has a student Republican club, which has not been shut down.

Meanwhile, the Chronicle also reports that Brigham Young University recently disbanded both its Republican and Democrat clubs, citing the “political-neutrality policy of the university.” Well, at least BYU is equally discriminatory (if you’ll pardon the oxymoron) towards political student groups.

Using his public records kung fu, Lawton discovers that, of the thirty two full-time faculty in the UO journalism school, none are registered Republicans. Even adding in adjunct faculty, there are only two Republicans.

But this lopsided demographic is not confined to the UO. Lawton further notes that:

The disparity, as dramatic as it is, mirrors the the political composition of many other journalism schools across the country.  A 2005 study of nine top journalism schools by David Horowitz and Joseph Light revealed similar ratios of political affiliation.  Columbia University had 15 Democrats and one Republican, while Berkeley had ten Democrats and zero Republicans.

The leftist leanings of academia is nothing new, but in an industry that prides itself on its objective, fair coverage of events, you have to wonder (as Lawton does) how well journalism students are served by an almost completely Democrat faculty.

Of course, given the press’ fawning over Obama, maybe they’ve just given up on that whole “objectivity” thing anyways.

“If you were walking down the street and saw someone harassing a child, would you just walk by and look the other way? If that person was telling the child the world would be better off if they just killed themselves, would you ignore it?”

Well … no, but my response probably wouldn’t be to craft an overbroad, facially unconstitutional bill that targets far more than just “cyberbullying.” But then again, I’m not Rep. Sanchez. (For you critical thinkers out there, Sanchez’s rhetorical question is called a false dichotomy.)

Bonus points to Sanchez for including the phrase “so-called free speech” in her article. It really shows her true colors when it comes to the First Amendment.

Also, Hat tip to Reason, where you can find a more thorough shellacking of Sanchez’ Maginot Line of an argument.

Today, Mr. Roesch is the co-owner of a master franchising firm called Dazser, Inc. It employs sixty individuals and took in $40 million in revenue last year. The company has offices in Tampa, Baltimore, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Orlando, and is still expanding. Most impressively, Dazser was in the Incorporated 400 four times; just one more time will land it in the Hall of Fame.

Dazser sells and supports franchises of Jani-King, an international commercial cleaning business. Jani-King has offices in almost every major U.S. city and more than 20 countries abroad. Dazser provides its Jani-King franchises with marketing, sales, and accounting services.

Initially, when Roesch and his friend, David Zillig, decided to enter business together, they only planned to purchase an individual franchise. Franchises are proven business models, so it seemed a safe venture. They chose Jani-King because it was the franchise ranked second highest return on investment. Instead of opening a single franchise, however, they opened their own company to sell Jani-King franchises.

Roesch and Zillig encountered several challenges on their way to success. In Dazser’s infancy, the men worked 14-hour days cleaning office buildings. Neither took a salary. Because they lacked much working capital, they financed their first expansion by opening as many credit cards as possible. “Building the business to the size where it can support itself takes several years,” Roesch attests. “We didn’t realize it would take so long to get over that hump. We thought within 10 or 15 years we would be retired.”

This initial setback did not extinguish their determination. Motivation and ambition are essential to the success of a business. Since Roesch and Zillig were responsible for their profits and losses and not reliant on the government, they were driven to succeed.

An ongoing obstacle Roesch faces is finding and keeping good employees. Jani-King requires the lowest initial investment of any franchise in the world. Buyers are less likely to remain committed because there is not a lot of money at stake. Roesch says, “It’s hard to get people to act like business owners when they are not your employees.” He attributes overcoming challenges like this to his well-balanced partnership with Zillig.

Another characteristic necessary to success is the desire for profit. This mentality is what drives businesses to better their products; naturally, this pleases the consumer. In a nation where the government controls commerce, consumers rarely are satisfied. The government knows individuals will buy goods out of necessity and has no incentive to improve. In a capitalist economy, however, businessmen work in their own interests, resulting in better and more affordable products.

Dazser seeks to earn profits by addressing a problem with commercial cleaning services. Small “mom and pop” companies have great customer service and close supervision but often do not have proper training or insurance. Big national companies have the opposite problem. Jani-King is a big company with proper procedures and record-keeping combined with the small business owner who provides customer service and supervision. Their interest in making money benefits those looking for a reliable cleaning service.

Dazser engages in other profit-seeking ventures that please the customer. Unlike other master franchisers, Dazser promises initial business to those who purchase Jani-King franchises. Roesch says, “When someone purchases a franchise from us, part of our commitment to them is to provide them with some customers.” This unique guarantee – though it helps small business – is applied only because it brings Roesch revenue.

This kind of self-interest is what drives individuals to turn profit while incidentally benefiting their communities. Roesch became an entrepreneur for personal gain, not to make a difference in the world. “I wanted to be financially secure at as early an age as possible. I didn’t want to help anyone.”

Dazser supports its communities by putting 10 percent of its profit into charities such as Young Life and Family First. Public knowledge of this boosts the company’s appeal in the community. The company has also been converting to “green” cleaning technologies, but as Roesch points out, “not because it’s required but because it’s a good business practice. It’s a marketing strategy that is a way to separate us from our competition.”

This notion of self-regulation is truly at the heart of successful business. The best perk of being his own employer, Roesch says, is “control over all aspects of the business.” The government, however, still imposes many requirements on businesses that decrease their effectiveness.

For example, government mandates such as those imposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are more harmful than helpful. Roesch is against the quota in hiring employees because it doesn’t allow him to hire the best candidate for a job and limits his ability to fire underperforming employees without fear of frivolous legal retaliation. “Anybody can walk in to the EEOC and file a complaint without a single shred of evidence. It costs him nothing and costs us thousands of dollars just to reply to the inquiry.”

Despite government red tape, Roesch is glad he made a career in business. He works approximately 30 hours a week doing what he loves and gains personal satisfaction from engaging in work that will make people more productive and businesses more profitable. Additionally, Roesch says, “Business can be a reflection of our values and principles; we can use it to help others.”

The most interesting part of Stephen Roesch’s story is the lesson that business is more than just a job to an entrepreneur. From a young age, Roesch was involved in starting businesses and spearheading productivity and finance projects. Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle sustained by personality traits such as zeal and motivation for profits.

Mr. Roesch says the most important thing he has learned from his career has been that what really matters is the journey, not the destination. As people and businesses grow, ideals and goals may change, and this is good. His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is simply, “Do it.”

Today’s headlines are ridden with warnings of the impending doom of the American economy. Layoffs, dividend cuts, and even bankruptcy have become the norm for businesses around the country. Despite this difficult climate, a handful of college students ignored the crumbling markets and engaged in an activity that is at the heart of economic growth: they started their own business.

It is not uncommon to hear of an enterprising college student starting a simple business such as babysitting, a laundry service, or tutoring. But the project started by Jake Klinvex and Dan Kervick is not your typical Sunday afternoon carwash. No, these Villanova University students thought outside the box and created a web-based concept that provides a much needed tool to businesses.

Their idea is called “Persontation” (www.persontation.com). It is a video communication system that brings the internet, Microsoft Office, and webcams to the same interface. With an account and unique domain name, a company can use Persontation to create custom video productions complete with accompanying graphs, charts, text, or images. Persontation works seamlessly with all Office applications as well as Adobe software.

Persontation had a classic beginning in the sophomore dorms of Klinvex and Kervick. In less than two years their staff has grown to 15 employees, including subcontracted software developers in Pakistan. The successful concept and subsequent growth of Persontation has not gone unnoticed. The founders are currently finalizing the sale of their startup to a local financial services software company, eMoney Advisor. After being acquired, Klinvex and Kervick plan to continue operations as a subsidiary of eMoney Advisor. Being a part of a larger, more established organization will give these entrepreneurs the additional resources they need to increase their sales, improve their customer service, and explore new areas of development.

Kervick describes that the most difficult hurdle to starting Persontation was securing financing for the operations of the company in the midst of a global financial crisis, tightening credit markets, and decreasing risk tolerance. The costs to create this service totaled approximately $100,000. This includes software development, travel costs, and printed materials. Despite the daunting price tag, the founders’ status as students helped to remove personal compensation from the equation and allowed them to contribute the necessary time to build their project while keeping expenses low. Startup capital was provided primarily from personal savings of the founders and a few friends.

Selling their idea was another challenge. Their concept needed to be marketed to potential investors, clients, and any firm that would have an interest in acquiring Persontation. Kervick found that the youth of Persontation’s team was an unexpected asset in the sales process. The clients perceived that younger generations are by definition technologically savvy and therefore their idea would be feasible. Kervick anticipates 2009 revenues at roughly $2.8 million. The success of Persontation in obtaining clients and being acquired by eMoney clearly demonstrates their technical skills and ability to sell their service.

Understanding that youth was not enough of an advantage to get a new online service started, Persontation’s management team approached James Danko, the Dean of Villanova’s School of Business, who was impressed with their work. Dean Danko then referred Persontation to VSB alumnus Edmond Walters, founder and CEO of eMoney Advisor. Leveraging what little capital was available and using priceless resources such as Dean Danko, Klinvex and Kervick propelled their innovative idea to new heights.

Through this unique experience, Dan Kervick has learned that “Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy.” According to Kervick, the way to stimulate the economy is to reduce taxes on small businesses and provide incentives and safety nets to those taking appropriate risks, such as entrepreneurs. “To actually create wealth and shake a recession, the federal government should not disproportionately benefit those who work less and who are less likely to take risks and create jobs for others,” explains Kervick. As a successful entrepreneur, Kervick is thankful that this country and its economic structure are still favorable towards small businesses. However, he is worried by the potential deterrent to entrepreneurs that increased taxes would present.

Persontation and its management recognize that they are very blessed to have enjoyed their level of success. Because of this they recognize their duty to provide assistance to those who are not as fortunate. Persontation is committed to assisting philanthropic organization that it views as having a “strong purpose.” They screen potential groups, donate a Persontation account to the top organizations, and feature them in a Philanthropy section of their website. One of the supported philanthropies, Bread for Bread, collects donations from restaurant patrons when they receive complimentary bread in order to support local food banks.

Persontation also reaches out to several student groups at Villanova that are seeking to start their own businesses. Some of these groups are affiliated with the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon and the business ideas being worked on include a political website and a Greek community website. Kervick and Klinvex realize the contribution that others have made in their venture and in turn seek to encourage and inspire other potential entrepreneurs.

In light of current events, many Americans can take courage from the story of Kervick, Klinvex, and Persontation. Despite their environment, two college students demonstrated remarkable vision by pooling their talent and resources and bringing an idea to life. Enabling its clients to personify their projects, Persontation may be the future in presentation methods and could someday be a name as common as PowerPoint.

What an outsider might not guess is that Kramer stumbled across his job as a landlord “purely by mistake – or serendipity.” In 1990, having spent about twenty years in the pest-control business, he planned to purchase a piece of property on East LaSalle Street. He had intended to tear the house down and convert the land into a parking facility for business trucks. However, when he approached the owner, he learned that some St. Mary’s students had a lease for the following year. Kramer bought the property anyway, intending to honor their lease and then follow through with his original plan.

By September or October, though, he had received inquires from Notre Dame students about renting the house for another year. “I just kept going,” Kramer said. “I had to turn students away because I only owned the one house. At first, I still planned on turning the property into parking, but after a while I started asking the students questions about what they wanted.”

In 2004, he sold his pest-control business and began purchasing property aggressively. Kramer noted that there are two main parts of his job: “The first is ‘rehabbing’ older homes and making them a vibrant part of the community. The second part would be the people. I’ve met so many people in this business, and I really do enjoy meeting the students and parents and interacting with them. Everyday, there’s a surprise, and it’s usually a good one. The rewards of my job are much greater than the drawbacks.”
When questioned about the negative aspects of being a landlord for students, Kramer admitted that he certainly faces difficulties. “This is the first time the students have lived alone, and they’re not familiar with the inner workings of homes. It may sound petty, for example, but many of them don’t know what should be put down a garbage disposal. So maintenance can be an issue, because the students don’t know how to use a house.”

He was slower to mention what many assume would be the main challenge in the student housing business: partying. “Naturally, there are some students who have had a few too many parties by the time the year is over. Our goal is not to take their deposits, but sometimes we find that we need to – and we are constantly showing them how to get their deposit back.” He added, “We educate the students too: they need to learn how to be neighborly and live in a home. And by in large, they respect the houses.”
Kramer emphasized that the student safety is a greater concern than property damage. “Student safety is an issue that I do not take lightly,” he asserted. “I feel the same responsibility towards each one of my tenants as if they were my son or daughter.”
In addition to hiring his own security guards, Kramer pointed out that each of his homes is furnished with an ADT security system and good lighting. “It’s an ongoing challenge,” he concluded, “and the very worst thing that could happen is if one of my tenants should be physically harmed.”

Less flexible people might have found the transition from the pest control business to the property businesses rather abrupt, but Kramer finds the two businesses similar in one essential respect: customer service. “Both are about serving clientele and built on the same model of superior service,” he remarked. “If you offer excellent service, people will come back and refer others to you. My time in the pest-control business was useful for the advertising experience, but even there, year after year, around thirty-five percent of my business came from referrals.”

Now, Kramer estimates that fifty percent of his business comes from word-of-mouth referrals from students. He cited an example of a family of six brothers, four of whom have lived or are currently living in one of his houses. “The fifth brother will be in another home next year, and they tell me the sixth will very likely come to Notre Dame and live in one my houses too.”

Kramer highlighted the pleasure he derives from these interactions with the students: “I show the majority of properties myself, and when one student comes, I see brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends.”
Kramer quipped, “Conceivably, one day, I’ll see a son or daughter of a tenant living in one of my houses – but I hope my daughter will be running the business by then.” Kramer Properties can be called a family-orientated business in more ways than one: his daughter is one of Kramer’s six employees and works as the company’s leasing agent.

Kramer attributes his success to the quality of the service that he provides. He said, “The first house that I rented was popular, but in less than desirable condition when I bought it. The students were happy because that was the norm.” During the first summer he owned the original rental, he made substantial improvements to the property, including carpeting the bedrooms and replacing the roof, windows, siding, and floor.
“When the girls who had rented it came back in the fall, they came to me and asked, ‘What happened to our house?’” he recounted. “They were juniors, and right away they signed a lease for the following year. And when they moved out, they had it rented out for the next two years.”
Kramer felt there was an essential difference between him and the typical landlord. Kramer explained that many landlords have the attitude that “they’re students; they’ll tear it up anyway.”

Contrary to this, Kramer thinks that “if you give a young person an old, beat-up car, they’ll treat it like one. And in the same way, if you give them a shiny new car, they’ll want to keep it in that condition. My attitude is to always look at our houses with the question ‘Would I allow my daughter to live in this house?’ in mind. If the answer is no, then the house isn’t fit for the students.”

Kramer stated that he does “as much as he can to make the experience enjoyable for the students.” Students’ experiences extend to everyday details of living, not just the moment they move in. Kramer commented, “I don’t make the students wait a long time for a plumbing difficulty or something of the kind. I expect them to do their part, and they have a right to expect that I will do mine.”

His philosophy goes a long way toward explaining why Kramer Properties has always enjoyed a one hundred percent occupancy rate. Ninety percent occupancy is the rental industry norm. “I hope to be doing this for a long, long time to come,” he concluded sincerely.

Most of the students are, of course, mortified by the idea (”but I worked hard for my grades!”), but when asked if they support wealth redistribution, they invariably say yes. It’s telling of the cognitive dissonance that students must have to keep up to pass the average sociology class.

Ashley Herzog over at Town Hall analyzes the results of the videos:

Shocking? Not really. As I pointed out in my March 30 column, most college students are economically illiterate. When quizzed by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute about basic concepts, such as supply and demand, the average student’s score was 53 percent. And since most don’t work or pay taxes (only 46 percent of full-time students have jobs), they simply have no idea how capitalism works.

But they do understand grades. Students who study hard get good grades; students who skip class and binge drink every night get bad grades. Some struggle with difficult material, but with enough effort (attending office hours, seeing a tutor) most can maintain a decent GPA. Every sane college student realizes the immorality of “spreading the grades around”—regardless of who benefits.

Hat tip to Phi Beta Cons and my friend Kenny Crabtree, a University of Oregon college Republican who created this video for the contest.

A few weeks ago I decided to explore this option a bit. I was dismayed to discover that what a professor told me last year was quite true: “Military history is a dying art.” My options seemed limited to either one of the service academies or the Royal Military College of Canada—none of which are likely decisions. Interspersed with the meager degree results were articles in which professors point out the lack of interest in and respect for military history on college campuses. Military history, it seems, is relegated to the back room of higher education and thought to be the territory of History Channel addicts. I’ve even run across some people who are hostile to the idea of studying war for a living, as if that means one wants wars to happen.

I think it’s pretty sad that military history is pushed to the margins of education. It’s been said that the history of mankind is the history of armed conflict, and that is a very true statement. Most of history is studying about wars, then a period of peace, then another war, and then another war, and then more peace, and then yet another war. Military historians provide a valuable insight into history by studying how wars were fought, how strategy is made and tactics are executed, what made certain generals great or disastrous, and how one extra move might have changed the course of a battle, an entire war, and maybe even history.

Reading maps and memorizing how many men are in a brigade, regiment, and division may not seem as important as theorizing about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But wars are an essential part of human history. War shows us human nature at its worst and at its best. In war we simultaneously see people killing each other for senseless reasons and 19-year-old kids who throw themselves on grenades to save their buddies. Little tells us more about humanity than warfare. If we don’t understand what goes into making wars, we’ve lost a valuable method to understanding mankind.

And for the argument that studying wars means one supports them? Well, that’s like saying a virologist is eagerly anticipating the next Spanish flu pandemic.