1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640 this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon 3 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,480 to three on WBT Radio and Charlotte. And if you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719 want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, 5 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,239 my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,600 go to thepeteclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,719 smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for 9 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:32,000 your support. Want to welcome back to the program, Corey Valancourt. 10 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:36,759 He is the politics editor at the Smoky Mountain News 11 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,359 up in western North Carolina. Corey, how are you doing, sir? 12 00:00:40,039 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 2: Hey Pete. Glad to be back and just want to 13 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,039 thank you and your listeners again for everything y'all did 14 00:00:46,079 --> 00:00:49,920 for us during Hurricane Eleen eight months ago. We still 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,280 remember and we won't forget. 16 00:00:51,439 --> 00:00:53,799 Speaker 1: Well, we haven't forgotten you guys either. In fact, tomorrow 17 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,000 I've got Sean Hendrix coming on to give a status 18 00:00:57,039 --> 00:01:01,240 update on as to their relief efforts things in your 19 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:01,920 neck of the woods. 20 00:01:03,039 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: You know, it's all relative, Pete. For some folks it's 21 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,319 like the storm never happened. And for other folks, obviously 22 00:01:09,359 --> 00:01:12,319 it's still just a catastrophe that they've been living out 23 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:16,239 for two hundred and fifty days. So you know, it's 24 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,400 kind of a mixed bag. But really, for us in 25 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,599 Haywood County and West things are relatively normal. 26 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: Is there a sense of any kind of optimism that 27 00:01:27,079 --> 00:01:28,560 things are improving. 28 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,239 Speaker 2: Uh, certainly, but it's measured optimism, and it's incremental. Every 29 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,200 week or every month a new bridge opens back up, 30 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,879 or a new business opens its stores again. So you know, 31 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,239 we're getting there. But as everyone has said for the 32 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,680 past eight months, this is something we're going to be 33 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,840 talking about for five years minimum, if not ten. Then 34 00:01:49,159 --> 00:01:51,439 we're not even at the one year mark yet. So 35 00:01:51,599 --> 00:01:53,799 I think we've bounced back pretty good for only being 36 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,519 eight months out, but certainly a long way to go. 37 00:01:56,719 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it is tourist season in full swing, and 38 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:04,560 so anybody listening that is looking to spend tourism dollars someplace, 39 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,520 please consider going up to the mountains and helping people 40 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,960 with the local economy up there they needed. I was 41 00:02:12,039 --> 00:02:15,120 up there last weekend and there are a lot of 42 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,360 great places that are still intact. They are open, they 43 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,479 are operating. You know, there are parks that are open 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:26,280 and stuff, so it's not complete devastation everywhere. You can 45 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,400 go up there and spend tourism dollars and have a 46 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,520 really good time. So Corey, let me ask you, though 47 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,280 you've got a story here at Smoky Mountain News. We 48 00:02:33,759 --> 00:02:36,400 started covering this, I guess about two weeks ago when 49 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:42,080 UNC Charlotte was first in the crosshairs of aim accuracy 50 00:02:42,199 --> 00:02:45,840 in media pun intended by the way. I'm a professional 51 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,680 at this, Please don't attempt that at home. So then 52 00:02:48,719 --> 00:02:55,400 we got the second drop of UNC Ashville, and now 53 00:02:55,479 --> 00:03:00,000 we've got Western Carolina that there was an administrator who 54 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,599 who was secretly recorded describing how the school is continuing 55 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:10,039 to promote DEI or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives despite 56 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,719 a band that was enacted by the UNC Board of 57 00:03:13,759 --> 00:03:16,639 Governor's last year. And you actually talked to Adam Gillett 58 00:03:16,719 --> 00:03:19,120 as well, and I thought this was kind of interesting 59 00:03:19,159 --> 00:03:21,840 because there now seems to be this debate about undercover 60 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,800 video and whether that's you know, ethical journalism or not. 61 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,240 And as a journalist yourself, I was kind of curious, 62 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,159 do you have any thoughts about the use of undercover 63 00:03:32,039 --> 00:03:34,560 video tactics in order to get stories. 64 00:03:35,919 --> 00:03:39,159 Speaker 2: Absolutely, Pete. I had thoughts, and the first thing that 65 00:03:39,719 --> 00:03:42,199 I saw when I thought of this was so I'd 66 00:03:42,199 --> 00:03:45,919 done things like this twice. The first time was in 67 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,960 twenty twenty two. I went to Ukraine and I wanted 68 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:50,919 to get close to the front lines in the south 69 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,280 in Harsonoblast, and so I had to do that undercover. 70 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:56,719 I'm not really going to talk about how it was done, 71 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:58,960 but it was done, and you can read those stories 72 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,120 and listen to some of the d stuff I produced 73 00:04:01,159 --> 00:04:04,360 to regarding that trip. But I went in less than 74 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,159 a mile to the front lines. There was no other 75 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,599 way for me to be able to get there and 76 00:04:09,719 --> 00:04:13,039 gather that information. The second time I did this was 77 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,919 when the paper mill closed in Canton, the pact of 78 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,000 Evergreen paper Mill. I got a tip that the company 79 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:22,360 was calling some meetings, some very unusual meetings, and so 80 00:04:22,439 --> 00:04:25,480 I just went downtown Canton and blended in and looked 81 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,040 around and followed a bunch of employees into a building, 82 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,720 and I was the only one who got to actually 83 00:04:30,759 --> 00:04:34,519 sit there and listen and record what company officials told 84 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,600 their workers. The common theme between Ukraine and Canton. I 85 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,720 would not have been able to get that information any 86 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,879 other way I think came and Julette's work in similar. 87 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,639 In fact, he even told me he didn't think that 88 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,079 if he just approached them as journalists normally do, and say, hey, 89 00:04:52,639 --> 00:04:55,759 I've got some public records requests, I've got some interview requests. 90 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,439 I want to sit down and talk about your DEI policy. 91 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,279 He doesn't think that he would have gotten the information. 92 00:05:01,639 --> 00:05:04,480 So I understand why it might rub people wrong. But 93 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,959 again I will I won't hesitate to do undercover work 94 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,519 with the caveat that there is no other way to 95 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,160 get an honest representation of the information that you're seeking. 96 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: I think that's a fair standard. I do, and I 97 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,959 would agree with that because, like you said, and like 98 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,720 Gilett said, if he were to walk in there and say, hey, 99 00:05:24,079 --> 00:05:27,399 how are you guys, you know using DEI stuff, and 100 00:05:27,399 --> 00:05:29,439 he's got cameras and he booked it as a you know, 101 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,600 media interview, they're going to give him the you know, 102 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:34,759 the the pr answer. They're going to give him, Oh, 103 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,360 we're not doing it, we're following the law. It's not happening. 104 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,839 But when you go in undercover, you find out well, 105 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,639 kind of, yeah, you may have moved some people around. 106 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,639 But you know, the people are still you know, doing 107 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,680 the work as they like to say, they're just not 108 00:05:50,879 --> 00:05:52,639 They're not doing it out in the open, and they 109 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,680 know they can't because of the band, and so this 110 00:05:55,959 --> 00:05:58,120 appears to me to be the only way that they 111 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,160 could go about doing it. 112 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,079 Speaker 2: I agree one hundred percent. I mean, it's clear, it 113 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:07,759 really appears that they are actively trying to circumvent what 114 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,480 the UNC Board of Governors dictated I think it was 115 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,040 last May, May or June of twenty twenty four. Some 116 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,240 might call that compliance. You know, by the letter of 117 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,879 the law. They've gotten rid of their DEI officer and 118 00:06:20,319 --> 00:06:23,879 they don't have any official DEI programs, but some folks 119 00:06:23,959 --> 00:06:27,000 are carrying out this work as a part of their 120 00:06:27,079 --> 00:06:30,120 other duties. And at the end of my story, I 121 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,519 believe it says something about how the UNC Board of 122 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,000 Governors needs to clarify or determine whether or not this 123 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,279 is okay. I mean to be completely clear, Pete, I 124 00:06:39,319 --> 00:06:42,360 don't really care about the issue of DEI at this moment, 125 00:06:42,439 --> 00:06:46,240 and not at Western. What I care about is a 126 00:06:46,519 --> 00:06:50,639 publicly funded institution following the rules that were set out 127 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,120 by its governing. 128 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: Board right and in fact to this point of whether 129 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,439 or not you could actually get an honest answer if 130 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:02,639 you went through official channels. Inside you have a you 131 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,560 have a request where you made requests of the Chancellor 132 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:10,439 Kelly Brown to do an interview, and they would not 133 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,120 make Kelly Brown available for any kind of an interview. 134 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,240 It sounds like, do you and so do you have 135 00:07:16,279 --> 00:07:19,560 a good relationship with Western and Kelly Brown's office or 136 00:07:19,639 --> 00:07:20,199 Kelly Brown. 137 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,439 Speaker 2: Absolutely, We've had nothing but a great relationship with Western 138 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,079 Carolina University for the entire twenty six year existence of 139 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,240 our newspaper. I've spoken with her many times. She seems 140 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,560 to be a serious, dedicated woman, very pleasant to be around, 141 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,800 you know, so it's not adversarial at all. But I 142 00:07:38,879 --> 00:07:42,800 was surprised that they walked right into Juliet's pratt where 143 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,480 he says, these people are unaccountable and when they get caught, 144 00:07:45,519 --> 00:07:47,480 they don't know what to say and they don't say anything. 145 00:07:47,839 --> 00:07:50,439 And then Kelly Brown's office turned right around and did 146 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:57,480 exactly that. How So I asked for an interview when 147 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,040 this press release dropped on Tuesday night, emailed them immediately 148 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:04,800 and started talking to some of the communications people. And 149 00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:07,399 I always do this Pete. It's one of the techniques 150 00:08:07,439 --> 00:08:09,759 that I use. I say I want an interview, I 151 00:08:09,839 --> 00:08:12,800 want to speak with the person, and then they'll send 152 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,120 me back a statement, and then I'll reply and say 153 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,439 I'm so sorry for the confusion. I didn't ask for 154 00:08:18,519 --> 00:08:21,639 a statement. I asked for an interview. I will not 155 00:08:21,759 --> 00:08:25,199 be publishing your statement because last time I checked my mailbox, 156 00:08:25,519 --> 00:08:28,920 I didn't have any checks in there. As your per person, 157 00:08:29,279 --> 00:08:31,199 I'm not here to run your pr and you're not 158 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,919 going to give me a statement that answers none of 159 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,759 my questions. You're going to talk to me like a 160 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:38,879 normal human being. And if you don't want to do that, well, 161 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,120 it's on you. And in a case like this where 162 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,399 they're basically being accused of not being transparent, this was 163 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,240 the stupidest thing that they could have done, but they 164 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:49,240 did it well. 165 00:08:49,279 --> 00:08:53,519 Speaker 1: And you also have a pair of June third emails 166 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:59,279 that were sent by administrators to various Western Carolina University employees. 167 00:08:59,759 --> 00:09:02,000 By you got a hold of some of these emails, 168 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,080 and the emails warned employee. So this is June third, 169 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,000 this is now what almost ten days ago, that warned 170 00:09:08,039 --> 00:09:14,759 employees against speaking to outsiders about DEI in light of 171 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:18,279 the UNC Charlotte's story, So they were aware that this 172 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,639 was going on because of the UNCC story. Then I'm 173 00:09:21,639 --> 00:09:24,279 sure you know, things got heightened when the UNC Ashtville 174 00:09:24,279 --> 00:09:26,799 story dropped, and so they were telling their people, don't 175 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:30,519 talk to anybody about DEI stuff. And now apparently it 176 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:34,320 had already occurred, I guess because they already had the video. 177 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, Pee. So Juliette told me that they 178 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,600 had filmed this. I believe it was clearly before mid April, 179 00:09:42,639 --> 00:09:45,519 because the administrator in the video is no longer there. 180 00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:50,000 The job advertisement was posted for her position in mid April, 181 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,159 so they had been there. Certainly WC was aware of 182 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,159 what happened. You know, Juliette is walking through the office 183 00:09:57,159 --> 00:10:01,120 talking to administrators, asking them questions about d They're all 184 00:10:01,159 --> 00:10:03,480 refusing to comment. So I'm sure that they all sat 185 00:10:03,519 --> 00:10:05,679 down after that and put their heads together and said, 186 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:08,320 what the hell just happened to us and what is 187 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,360 about to happen to us? And then they saw UNCC 188 00:10:11,639 --> 00:10:14,799 drop and then they saw UNCA drop, and so they 189 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,720 sent up these emails and said, oh, I think we 190 00:10:17,799 --> 00:10:19,759 know what's coming, and it's going to be another one 191 00:10:19,799 --> 00:10:24,159 of these undercover videos, and we're worried about what might happen. 192 00:10:24,279 --> 00:10:27,840 So direct all communication to the appropriate authorities so that 193 00:10:27,879 --> 00:10:29,799 they can refuse to talk to the media. 194 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, right, exactly, it's don't anybody say anything, tell them 195 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:39,159 to talk to us where we won't say anything. Yeah, 196 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,879 not a great look, but this is look, this has 197 00:10:41,919 --> 00:10:44,480 always been part of the problem with the DEI ban 198 00:10:44,639 --> 00:10:47,480 is that it didn't dismand all right, it may have 199 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:51,480 dismantled the offices by disbanding them and saying, okay, you 200 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:53,919 can't do this as an office, right, but they just 201 00:10:54,039 --> 00:10:56,799 reassigned the people, and the people who are in those 202 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:59,679 offices are not going to have a change of heart 203 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,679 about out the importance of the work. They're going to 204 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,279 find other ways to advance it undercover. And so, like 205 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,320 back to our original conversation, like, that's the only way 206 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,440 you're going to get at this is because if they're 207 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,759 going underground to continue the work, you have to go 208 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,519 underground to follow them and catch them doing it. And 209 00:11:18,639 --> 00:11:22,000 so far, he's three for three this or Aim is 210 00:11:22,039 --> 00:11:23,799 three for three on these. And he said he had 211 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:28,559 like half a dozen UNC schools or North Carolina schools, 212 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,279 and my understanding is probably UNC Wilmington might be in 213 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,559 the mix, but I don't know any others. Besides, that's 214 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:37,279 all right, anything else, Yeah, go ahead. 215 00:11:37,399 --> 00:11:40,639 Speaker 2: Yeah. There's actually an article in the Daily tar Heel. 216 00:11:41,159 --> 00:11:44,399 I believe it was June third or June sixth where 217 00:11:44,399 --> 00:11:47,720 they're talking. This was before the Western Carolina stuff drop. 218 00:11:47,759 --> 00:11:50,600 But they're talking about AIM and what they've been doing. 219 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,600 And there seems to be some suspicion that Chapel Hill 220 00:11:53,639 --> 00:11:56,080 maybe in the mix or maybe next or somewhere down 221 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,600 the road. And we haven't seen anything out of Chapel 222 00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:01,039 Hill yet, So I guess if you're a fan of 223 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,960 this kind of work, stay tuned. 224 00:12:03,039 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good bet. I can't imagine they would 225 00:12:06,279 --> 00:12:11,240 not go to UNC Chapel No. Right, Okay, Corey, good 226 00:12:11,279 --> 00:12:13,399 to talk with you, Sarah. I appreciate your time. Keep 227 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,120 up the good work. Corey Valancourt. He's the politics editor 228 00:12:16,159 --> 00:12:18,960 at the Smoky Mountain News. Thanks, buddy, appreciate it. 229 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 2: Always a pleasure. Pete bye bye see it. 230 00:12:21,399 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: Here's a great idea. How about making an escape to 231 00:12:24,159 --> 00:12:27,639 a really special and secluded getaway in western North Carolina. 232 00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:29,919 Just a quick drive up the Mountain and Cabins of 233 00:12:29,919 --> 00:12:34,279 Asheville is your connection. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, a honeymoon, 234 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,600 maybe you want to plan a memorable proposal, or get 235 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,519 family and friends together for a big old reunion. Cabins 236 00:12:39,519 --> 00:12:42,279 of Asheville has the ideal spot for you where you 237 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,879 can reconnect with your loved ones and the things that 238 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,759 truly matter. Nestled within the breath taking fourteen thousand acres 239 00:12:48,759 --> 00:12:52,120 of the Pisga National Forest, their cabins offer a serene 240 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,919 escape in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Centrally 241 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,440 located between Ashville and the entrance of the Great Smoky 242 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,960 Mountain National Park. It's the perfect balance and sub seclusion 243 00:13:01,159 --> 00:13:05,720 and proximity to all the local attractions with hot tubs, fireplaces, 244 00:13:05,759 --> 00:13:09,919 air conditioning, smart TVs, Wi Fi, grills, outdoor tables and 245 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,320 your own private covered porch. Choose from thirteen cabins, six cottages, 246 00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:18,399 two villas and a great lodge with eleven king sized bedrooms. 247 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,720 Cabins of Ashville has the ideal spot for you for 248 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,559 any occasion, and they have pet friendly accommodations. Call or 249 00:13:25,639 --> 00:13:28,960 text eight two eight, three six, seven seventy sixty eight 250 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,399 or check out all there is to offer at cabins 251 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:36,480 Offashville dot com and make memories that'll last a lifetime. Yeah. So, 252 00:13:36,639 --> 00:13:40,519 a couple weeks ago, we interviewed Adam Gillett from Accuracy 253 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:44,799 and Media after they dropped their first undercover video sting 254 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:50,480 operation at UNC Charlotte. Since then they hit, well, they've 255 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:57,159 dropped video from UNC Ashville, and now yesterday they dropped well, 256 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,320 it may have been two days ago, but the reporting, Yeah, 257 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,559 I dropped on the tenth. Another video. This is out 258 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:12,120 of Western Carolina University, and according to The Charlotte Observer, 259 00:14:13,639 --> 00:14:16,519 a new ut ofcover video from an activist media organization 260 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,039 purports to show a former administrator at Western Carolina University 261 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:27,000 quote pushing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts despite the UNC 262 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,440 system repealing DEI programs last year. But the university is 263 00:14:31,519 --> 00:14:36,559 standing by its record regarding compliance with state and federal 264 00:14:36,639 --> 00:14:39,759 rules on DEI. What does that mean? It's standing by 265 00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:44,600 its record? What record? Because this is also part of 266 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:47,159 the record now, and this would indicate that you're not 267 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,080 in compliance. No, the university is saying we're not doing it. 268 00:14:51,519 --> 00:14:56,000 The university is denying that they're doing it. In initial 269 00:14:56,039 --> 00:14:58,360 comments about the matter sent to the News and Observer. 270 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,840 The university also said that the the undercover interviewers did 271 00:15:01,879 --> 00:15:08,039 not present themselves to the administrator truthfully. Oh no, wha 272 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:14,080 wait a minute. Are you suggesting that an undercover journalist 273 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:18,799 posed as not a journalist in order to get you 274 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:23,159 to speak honestly about what you were doing, knowing that 275 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,320 you would not tell them honestly what you were doing 276 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,720 if they presented themselves as a journalist. No. No, the 277 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:36,679 university is pointing out that these undercover agents, these provocateurs, 278 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,519 these saboteurs, they didn't say that. They just said that 279 00:15:39,559 --> 00:15:45,600 these journalists posed as quote, students in distress who asked 280 00:15:45,919 --> 00:15:54,240 leading questions. So it's the journalist's fault that your administrator said, quote, 281 00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:59,919 we're trying to embed that kind of diversity, equity, inclusiveness, inclusive, excellent. 282 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,960 It's a new term really across like every area should 283 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,320 have responsibility for that. It shouldn't just be like an 284 00:16:08,399 --> 00:16:13,960 office or a figurehead. So the work is still occurring 285 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,720 very much here at Western you just might see it 286 00:16:16,799 --> 00:16:23,159 called different things. And so the undercover operative said, and 287 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,519 if you embed it, it can't be legislated out. And 288 00:16:27,559 --> 00:16:32,120 the administrator Karen Price said, quote, there you go. Now 289 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:39,080 you're understanding the strategy behind what it is. The real 290 00:16:39,159 --> 00:16:42,039 villain here, obviously, is the journalist. I think we can 291 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,840 all agree. How dare they misrepresent themselves as a student 292 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,120 in distress? I don't know what kind of distress, like 293 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:50,679 some like, oh my. 294 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 3: Gosh, rizzle the DI programs. I feel unsafe like that 295 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,600 kind of distress. Then the Charlotte Observer piece, it's actually 296 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,440 a News and Observer, but it's mclatten and it was 297 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:01,799 republished at the Charlotte Observer. 298 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: They want to point out about the ethical concerns regarding 299 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:12,160 undercover journalism. This is a very important aspect of the story, 300 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,279 according to McClatchy. All right, so spring is here a 301 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:20,200 time of renewal and celebrations. You've got graduations, weddings, anniversaries 302 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:22,799 and the special days for mom and dad. Your family's 303 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:24,799 making memories that are going to last a lifetime. But 304 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,960 let me ask you, are all of those treasured moments 305 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,400 from days gone by? Are they hidden away on old 306 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,480 VCR tapes, eight millimeter films, photos, slides? Are they preserved? 307 00:17:35,839 --> 00:17:39,279 Because over time, these precious memories can fade and deteriorate 308 00:17:39,599 --> 00:17:43,119 losing the magic of yesterday. At Creative Video, they help 309 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,920 you protect what matters most. Their expert team digitizes your 310 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,359 cherished family moments and transfers them onto a USB drive, 311 00:17:50,559 --> 00:17:52,799 freezing them in time so they can be enjoyed for 312 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,319 generations to come. I urge you do not wait until 313 00:17:56,319 --> 00:18:00,000 it's too late. This spring celebrates your past. Visit Creation 314 00:18:00,279 --> 00:18:03,119 Video today and let them preserve your legacy with the 315 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:07,039 love and care that it deserves. Creative Video Preserving Family 316 00:18:07,079 --> 00:18:10,480 Memories since nineteen ninety seven. Located in mint Hill, just 317 00:18:10,519 --> 00:18:13,599 off four eighty five. Mail orders are accepted to get 318 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,440 all the details that create a video dot com. All right, 319 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,680 So back to the Charlotte Observer story. In a piece 320 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:26,279 by Corey Dean at the Charlotte Observer, but it's also 321 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,279 the News Observer, so Corey Dean may actually be out 322 00:18:28,319 --> 00:18:34,960 of the Raleigh office, but Corey Dean reports generally it 323 00:18:35,039 --> 00:18:42,119 is considered unethical for journalists to report undercover, and I 324 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,160 have to I have to tell you, I am I 325 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:52,079 am unaware of this, this general consideration. I've like I 326 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,839 grew up with the you know, major like twenty twenty, 327 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:02,880 remember that News magazine doing undercover videos and stuff. I 328 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:07,200 remember watching media as a kid on the nightly newscast 329 00:19:07,319 --> 00:19:09,279 and all of the news magazines, and they would do 330 00:19:09,319 --> 00:19:14,880 these undercover investigations. This was standard fair. Remember the Food 331 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:20,640 Lion undercover expose. Remember where the twenty twenty guys they 332 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:22,759 blew up a Ford Explorer in order to try to 333 00:19:22,799 --> 00:19:26,680 convince people that these cars were blowing up. Remember that one. Okay, 334 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,359 maybe that's not a great example. It really even wasn't undercover, 335 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,039 although I guess the planting of the explosives was undercover. 336 00:19:32,559 --> 00:19:36,680 But I was not aware that this is a general 337 00:19:36,759 --> 00:19:41,559 consideration that generally it is considered unethical for journalists to 338 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:46,960 report undercover, because to me, that's just another way of 339 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:54,720 getting information that you can't otherwise gets. As Corey Valancourt 340 00:19:54,759 --> 00:19:56,759 pointed out, and he did not know. I was going 341 00:19:56,799 --> 00:19:59,079 to ask him about that, because I'm reading this from 342 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:04,160 the Charlotte Observe piece. The Smoky Mountain News piece doesn't 343 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:09,920 cover this generally considered an ethical standard. The Society of 344 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:14,559 Professional Journalists in its Code of Ethics. It does exist, people, 345 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,480 I hear you laughing. There is actually an SPJ code 346 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:23,119 of Ethics. It suggests reporters should avoid undercover or other 347 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:29,160 surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional open methods will 348 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,279 not yield information vital to the public. Well, there you go, right, 349 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:37,160 So why would you even put this into the story? 350 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:42,559 A revised statement? So Western Carolina issued apparently two different statements. 351 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,440 In the first one they were like, oh, they didn't 352 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,400 present themselves truthfully, and then they revised the statement to 353 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,240 take that out. Yeah, Like, that's because it's not a 354 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:57,599 good look. You got caught. Well, one person, you had, 355 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,440 one administrator, Karen Price, she got caught. She was the 356 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:06,000 director of institutional Assessment at Western Carolina and she is 357 00:21:06,039 --> 00:21:10,319 no longer there. She left back in April. But the 358 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:14,400 way Western has handled this is not too good, not 359 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,960 too great. Okay, the director of this is what they 360 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,720 said in a statement. The director of Institutional Assessment featured 361 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,519 in the video has no role in policy or compliance 362 00:21:25,559 --> 00:21:28,519 decisions and was not authorized to speak on behalf of 363 00:21:28,519 --> 00:21:31,680 the university. Now, if that sentence sounds familiar, it's because 364 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,200 that's almost exactly what the other university said too. And 365 00:21:35,279 --> 00:21:40,240 it's a little too clever by half. It is answering 366 00:21:40,279 --> 00:21:44,920 a question that is not asked, right, this person has 367 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,720 no role in policy decisions doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. 368 00:21:50,599 --> 00:21:55,880 Compliance decisions doesn't matter because they're saying decisions as if 369 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,000 like this person's in charge in directing others. That doesn't matter. 370 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:05,920 Are they doing it? Are they themselves doing it? And 371 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,200 then that she was not authorized to speak on behalf 372 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:13,039 of the university doesn't matter. The question is was she 373 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,400 doing it? When students presented themselves and said, hey, are 374 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,559 you we still doing DEI stuff? I really, you know, 375 00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:20,599 would really like I want to make sure that we're 376 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,400 still doing DEI. Oh yeah, don't worry, We're still doing DEI. 377 00:22:24,079 --> 00:22:27,599 So either Karen Price was lying about that, or the 378 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:33,000 people that populated these DEI offices throughout the UNC system 379 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:37,279 and then got reshuffled into other departments are still doing 380 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,519 the work. And I always say it like that the 381 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,039 work is because that's what they say, and they're just 382 00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:49,160 so tired of doing the work. We're out here doing 383 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,079 the work every day. They're out doing the work, and 384 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,119 the work never ends, and the work shall set you free. 385 00:22:54,480 --> 00:23:00,559 According to Marxism, that's how you are set freeze the work, 386 00:23:01,039 --> 00:23:02,799 and so you always have to be doing the work 387 00:23:02,839 --> 00:23:04,759 and if you are not actively doing the work, then 388 00:23:04,799 --> 00:23:10,799 you are part of the institutional systemicism, whether it's you know, racism, capitalism, 389 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,960 whatever the issue of the day happens to be. Because remember, 390 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,839 the issue is never the issue. The issue is always 391 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,200 the revolution. You just swap out whatever issue is handy 392 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,359 at the time, whichever one is making the headlines, whichever 393 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:29,440 ones you can weaponize against your political opponents. The issue 394 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,200 doesn't really matter. The issue is the revolution, and so 395 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:37,480 you're always doing the work in order to achieve the 396 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:45,680 perfected utopian society. In the Heygalian vision, hegel the philosopher, 397 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,759 So that's where all of this stuff sort of comes from. 398 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:56,039 So this statement doesn't really help much either. Corey Valancourt, 399 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,960 he talked with Adam Gillett, who is from the Accurate 400 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:06,400 in Media, and he said, first off, hidden camera investigative 401 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,839 journalism is by far the most honest form of journalism. 402 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,519 When the New York Times quotes an anonymous source quoting 403 00:24:13,559 --> 00:24:16,319 another anonymous source, we don't know if these people said 404 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,839 the things that they supposedly have said. We don't even 405 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,759 know if they exist. And before you think that can't happen, 406 00:24:23,559 --> 00:24:29,880 it has, right, go look up a movie called Broken Glass. 407 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,079 Fantastic movie. It was a scandal about Stephen Glass, reporter 408 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,519 at the New Republic, I believe it was. And he 409 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:44,359 just fabricated stories and people and events, and one of 410 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,160 his editors finally started like getting suspicious, and that's what 411 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,720 blew the lid off the whole thing. When reporters quote people, 412 00:24:52,319 --> 00:24:55,839 we don't know exactly what the reporter was told. We 413 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,119 don't know the context that it was told in. This 414 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,559 has always been a beef of mine whenever they attack 415 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,799 like James o'keef and they're like, oh, his videos are 416 00:25:03,839 --> 00:25:10,640 selectively edited. Every single news story is selectively edited, every 417 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:14,680 one of them. They have to be because you sit 418 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:16,960 and do an interview with somebody for ten or fifteen minutes, 419 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,000 but you only have a one minute window to tell 420 00:25:21,039 --> 00:25:26,720 the story, So you selectively edit sound bites. And it's 421 00:25:26,759 --> 00:25:29,640 the job of the reporter to ensure that the sound 422 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,519 bite that is selectively edited does not take the person 423 00:25:33,599 --> 00:25:38,559 out of context. And that's where your bias comes in, right. 424 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:42,759 A hidden camera investigative journalism shows people in their own words, 425 00:25:42,799 --> 00:25:46,960 discussing exactly what's going on. He said, and he's exactly right. 426 00:25:47,839 --> 00:25:50,839 He's exactly right. All right, if you're listening to this show, 427 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,440 you know I try to keep up with all sorts 428 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,480 of current events, and I know you do too, And 429 00:25:54,559 --> 00:25:58,000 you've probably heard me say get your news from multiple sources. 430 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,720 Why well, because it's how you detect media bias, which 431 00:26:01,799 --> 00:26:04,680 is why I've been so impressed with ground News. It's 432 00:26:04,799 --> 00:26:08,240 an app and it's a website and it combines news 433 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,200 from around the world in one place, so you can 434 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,559 compare coverage and verify information. You can check it out 435 00:26:13,599 --> 00:26:18,240 at check dot ground, dot news slash pete. I put 436 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,200 the link in the podcast description too. I started using 437 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,119 ground News a few months ago and more recently chose 438 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:26,119 to work with them as an affiliate because it lets 439 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,759 me see clearly how stories get covered and by whom. 440 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,000 The blind spot feature shows you which stories get ignored 441 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,920 by the left and the right. See for yourself. Check 442 00:26:36,039 --> 00:26:40,519 dot ground, dot news, slash pete. Subscribe through that link 443 00:26:40,559 --> 00:26:43,440 and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use 444 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,599 the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to every feature. 445 00:26:46,839 --> 00:26:49,599 Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, but it 446 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,759 also supports ground News as they make the media landscape 447 00:26:52,799 --> 00:26:57,359 more transparent. The piece by Corey Valancourt at Smoky Mountain News. 448 00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:59,960 I think he did a good job doing the store. 449 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,200 You don't know his view on DEI at all when 450 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,920 he's telling the story. In the video, Karen Price is 451 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:10,799 heard detailing how Western Carolina has adapted to the new 452 00:27:10,839 --> 00:27:17,160 political climate by decentralizing DEI responsibilities, repurposing roles, and dispersing 453 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:22,559 funding more broadly throughout the university structure without formally violating 454 00:27:22,759 --> 00:27:27,960 the rules. Right, So this is an end run around 455 00:27:28,279 --> 00:27:37,200 the DEI ban. Charlotte Observer reports the employee Karen Price 456 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,839 has not been employed at Western Carolina since mid April, 457 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,960 per the university. Initial comments from the university said Price 458 00:27:43,039 --> 00:27:45,720 retired at that time. Price is seen in the video 459 00:27:45,759 --> 00:27:49,480 making comments implying that while Western Carolina no longer has 460 00:27:49,519 --> 00:27:53,160 a DEI office or employees explicitly devoted to the efforts 461 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:58,880 the university is quote trying to embed DEI across the campus. Quote, 462 00:27:59,079 --> 00:28:02,359 the work is still occurring very much here at Western 463 00:28:02,559 --> 00:28:08,559 You just might see it called different things. Now, do 464 00:28:08,599 --> 00:28:12,240 you think it's coincidence that so far all three of 465 00:28:12,279 --> 00:28:15,799 the administrators that have been caught on undercover video saying 466 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,319 the exact same thing are saying the exact same thing. 467 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,359 Do you think that that's a coincidence? Why are they 468 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,799 all adopting the exact same strategy and saying the same 469 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:33,000 thing at all these different college campuses. They go on 470 00:28:33,039 --> 00:28:39,559 to Yeah, they go on to identify Accuracy in Media 471 00:28:40,039 --> 00:28:44,799 as quote known for its controversial and provocative tactics that 472 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,880 in recent years have included displaying an image of Adolph 473 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,079 Hitler raising his arm on a truck intended to denounce 474 00:28:53,119 --> 00:28:58,720 anti Semitism. Well, I ask Adam Gillett about this very thing, 475 00:28:58,759 --> 00:29:02,599 because you may recall when the college campuses first erupted 476 00:29:02,839 --> 00:29:09,680 in their Islamist slash Marxist tentifadas, and the campuses the 477 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:16,000 college administrators were either unwilling or unable to shut them down. 478 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:23,720 They gave permission structures to these tentifada hamas hollas to 479 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,279 continue their harassment of Jewish students and the like. And 480 00:29:27,359 --> 00:29:32,119 what Accuracy in Media did was got some box trucks 481 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,079 with the big video monitors on the sides of them, 482 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:40,920 you know, and they they drove around with the people 483 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:46,079 who were like the campus organizers, the campus leaders and 484 00:29:46,119 --> 00:29:48,559 stuff that were allowing this stuff to occur or were 485 00:29:48,559 --> 00:29:52,559 participating in the actions, and they drove these things around, 486 00:29:52,599 --> 00:29:57,160 these trucks around, calling them out for their anti Semitism. 487 00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:04,119 That was point. But you don't really get the full 488 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,319 sense of what exactly that operation was about when you 489 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,160 just read this sentence that, oh, it displayed an image 490 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:14,319 of Adolf Hitler raising his arm, intending to intended to 491 00:30:14,359 --> 00:30:17,960 denounce anti Semitism as it's intended to denounce it. It did. 492 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,799 It called out people by name, It docksed them publicly 493 00:30:24,119 --> 00:30:26,400 parking in front of their homes, saying you got a 494 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:30,599 guy here who's an anti Semi. And then people were like, 495 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:34,279 I can't believe you're doing this right. That was the 496 00:30:34,359 --> 00:30:40,119 operation that they ran. The recordings came or come roughly 497 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:42,880 a year after the UNC Board of Governors repealed a 498 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,960 policy that mandated DEI programming and jobs across the state 499 00:30:46,079 --> 00:30:48,880 sixteen public universities in the North Carolina School of Science 500 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:54,519 and Mathematics. Across the system, nearly sixty DEI related positions 501 00:30:54,559 --> 00:30:58,039 were eliminated, but more than one hundred and thirty so 502 00:30:58,119 --> 00:31:03,480 more than double were quote realigned or purged of their 503 00:31:03,519 --> 00:31:08,759 ties to DEI as a result of the repeal. Yeah, 504 00:31:08,799 --> 00:31:11,160 so you got one hundred and thirty people that were 505 00:31:11,279 --> 00:31:16,240 hired to do DEI stuff that then got repurposed or 506 00:31:16,319 --> 00:31:19,599 realigned into different areas. Do you think that they have 507 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:24,720 stopped the work. The policy change also resulted in universities 508 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:30,440 closing DEI offices or units with similar purposes or names. 509 00:31:31,279 --> 00:31:35,880 But again, the people that got reassigned are continuing the 510 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:43,319 work underground. They went underground to continue their DEI efforts, 511 00:31:45,039 --> 00:31:47,640 and they talk about it when they think there's no 512 00:31:47,759 --> 00:31:51,559 camera rolling. You put a mic in their face. No, no, no, 513 00:31:51,599 --> 00:31:53,640 we're in compliance. We're not doing any of that. We 514 00:31:53,839 --> 00:31:56,640 completely followed the law and the spirit of the law 515 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:58,359 and or doing all of this stuff by the book. 516 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,000 The Observer story goes on to say at the end, 517 00:32:03,079 --> 00:32:07,559 at one point, after Trump took office, Western Carolina removed 518 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:12,599 diversity and inclusive excellence as a core value in its mission, 519 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:17,000 but then restored the language after the News and Observer 520 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,279 inquired about the change. So Western Carolina's got some problems 521 00:32:22,279 --> 00:32:26,039 going on. They don't know which way to break on this. 522 00:32:27,599 --> 00:32:32,079 They seem to be a bit confused right. Western by 523 00:32:32,079 --> 00:32:34,440 the way, is also facing an investigation by the US 524 00:32:34,519 --> 00:32:38,319 Department of Education over allegations that the university quote refused 525 00:32:38,319 --> 00:32:41,839 to comply with Title nine and to ensure sex separated 526 00:32:42,039 --> 00:32:46,680 intimate spaces in federally funded institutions of higher learning, and 527 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:49,400 we covered that a couple of weeks ago as well. 528 00:32:49,599 --> 00:32:53,119 This had to do with the trans issue, so Western 529 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,359 has got some problems. All right. That'll do it for 530 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,319 this episode. Thank you so much for listening. Not do 531 00:33:00,359 --> 00:33:02,519 the show without your support and the support of the 532 00:33:02,519 --> 00:33:05,599 businesses that advertise on the podcast, so if you'd like, 533 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,799 please support them too and tell them you heard it here. 534 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,480 You can also become a patron at my Patreon page 535 00:33:10,599 --> 00:33:14,160 or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, thank you so 536 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,640 much for listening, and don't break anything while I'm gone.