Rutgers Centurion
Encyclopedia
The Centurion is a conservative magazine focused on Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
. Its motto is "veritas
vos liberabit," which is Latin for "the truth shall set you free." The magazine attempts to counterbalance that which its staff perceive as a predominant orthodoxy of social liberalism
and political progressivism of the professors and staff at the university. They believe this is confirmed by documented faculty donations to political candidates in the 2004 presidential election. The Centurion was founded in September 2004 by James O'Keefe
, a junior philosophy major, after he was fired from the Daily Targum. It was co-founded by fellow Rutgers college students Matthew Klimek, Joseph P. Nedick and Mason-Gross art student Justine Mertz.
, academic freedom
, eminent domain
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
, the secret society Cap and Skull
, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
and the Rutgers College Governing Association. Mostly, it focuses on campus fraud and due diligence issues, claiming in its mission statement to be a remedy to "excessive political correctness and corruption at Rutgers." But it has recently taken on national topics. On foreign policy issues, the journal often takes a neoconservative stance. Domestically, it echoes paleoconservative
sentiments, often railing against abortion on demand
, gun control
and illegal immigration
.
The magazine is known for its walk-in video reports. In one video the editors of The Centurion attempted to ban Lucky Charms
from Brower Dining Hall on the grounds the breakfast cereal was "offensive" to Irish-Americans. This was explained by conservative columnist Greg Walker, who took part in the exercise A specifically an ironic reaction to the targeting of sandwich names at the privately owned Grease Trucks
by the Rutgers LGBT
community. School staff met with those whom complained about the "offensive" breakfast cereal as a matter of requirement to follow up on all complaints, no further action was taken on the matter.
The Centurion is a member of the Collegiate Network
. Although officially recognized by Rutgers, The Centurion incorporated as a New Jersey 501(c)(3) for liability and financial reasons, and maintains a board of directors.
four times. It prints specific names and pictures of "liberal" students in its issues from Facebook
. In a matter subject to privacy implications, the paper has printed names of students who have "liberal" adornments on their dormitory doors. The magazine's inaugural headline was "Conservatives Launch Publication at Rutgers: Intolerant Diversity-Haters Promote Fanatical Agenda." Since then it has had such tongue-in-cheek
headlines as "Mayor of New Orleans doesn't care about Black People" after Hurricane Katrina
and "Abandon all Hope Ye Who Enter Here," over the campus gate; a spin off one of the cantons in the Divine Comedy and one of the covers for the National Review
.
, since he supposedly told a dissenting Republican student "You have no first amendment rights." After the editors obtained the disciplinary letter, they printed it on page 18 of the October 2005 issue. In another instance the editors presented a certificate bearing the "Centurion Award" to a history professor with the most pro-Democrat posters adorning his office door.
In late July, former editor in chief and founder James O'Keefe along with board member David Maxham set out to have the American flag hung up in every classroom at Rutgers. After approaching several deans, including Co-Vice Chair Brian Rose, the boys were told such an act would be "problematic" and that hanging up the American flag would give argument to others who would intend to adorn classrooms with their own symbols. Unsatisfied with the response, the students created a video , which caught the attention of the Jersey Guys on 101.5 FM. The issue was discussed as Centurion members Daniel Francisco and David Maxham fielded questions live on air on July 31, 2006. The radio show hosts shared the views of the students and pledged to help the Centurion on the issue.
The third issue of the magazine depicted well-known Rutgers alumnus Paul Robeson
and criticized his sympathy and support for the former Soviet Union
. Robeson, a Lenin Peace Prize
winner, has the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Rutgers University named in his honor.
The magazine often points out that economist Milton Friedman
, Rutgers '32, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and very influential in Chicago school of economics, has no facility named after him.
The March 2006 issue featured the infamous Danish cartoon
depicting Muhammad
.
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. Its motto is "veritas
Veritas
In Roman mythology, Veritas, meaning truth, was the goddess of truth, a daughter of Saturn and the mother of Virtue. It was believed that she hid in the bottom of a holy well because she was so elusive. Her image is shown as a young virgin dressed in white...
vos liberabit," which is Latin for "the truth shall set you free." The magazine attempts to counterbalance that which its staff perceive as a predominant orthodoxy of social liberalism
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
and political progressivism of the professors and staff at the university. They believe this is confirmed by documented faculty donations to political candidates in the 2004 presidential election. The Centurion was founded in September 2004 by James O'Keefe
James O'Keefe
James E. O'Keefe III is a conservative American activist who has produced controversial audio and video recordings of public figures and workers in a variety of organizations...
, a junior philosophy major, after he was fired from the Daily Targum. It was co-founded by fellow Rutgers college students Matthew Klimek, Joseph P. Nedick and Mason-Gross art student Justine Mertz.
Overview
The Centurion has featured cover stories on Rutgers alumnus Paul RobesonPaul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
, eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, the secret society Cap and Skull
Cap and Skull
Cap and Skull is a senior-year coeducational honors society at Rutgers University, founded on January 18, 1900.Admission to Cap and Skull is dependent upon excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, and public service. Leadership as well as character are also considered crucial factors for...
, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
and the Rutgers College Governing Association. Mostly, it focuses on campus fraud and due diligence issues, claiming in its mission statement to be a remedy to "excessive political correctness and corruption at Rutgers." But it has recently taken on national topics. On foreign policy issues, the journal often takes a neoconservative stance. Domestically, it echoes paleoconservative
Paleoconservatism
Paleoconservatism is a term for a conservative political philosophy found primarily in the United States stressing tradition, limited government, civil society, anti-colonialism, anti-corporatism and anti-federalism, along with religious, regional, national and Western identity. Chilton...
sentiments, often railing against abortion on demand
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
and illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
.
The magazine is known for its walk-in video reports. In one video the editors of The Centurion attempted to ban Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms is a brand of cereal produced by the General Mills food company of Golden Valley, Minnesota, United States. It first appeared in stores in 1964. The cereal consists of two main components: toasted oat-based pieces and multi-colored marshmallow bits in various shapes, the latter making...
from Brower Dining Hall on the grounds the breakfast cereal was "offensive" to Irish-Americans. This was explained by conservative columnist Greg Walker, who took part in the exercise A specifically an ironic reaction to the targeting of sandwich names at the privately owned Grease Trucks
Grease Trucks
The Grease Trucks are a group of truck-based food vendors located on the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey...
by the Rutgers LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community. School staff met with those whom complained about the "offensive" breakfast cereal as a matter of requirement to follow up on all complaints, no further action was taken on the matter.
The Centurion is a member of the Collegiate Network
Collegiate Network
The Collegiate Network is a non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt 501 organization that provides financial and technical assistance to student editors and writers of almost 100 independent, conservative and libertarian publications at leading colleges and universities around the country. The project...
. Although officially recognized by Rutgers, The Centurion incorporated as a New Jersey 501(c)(3) for liability and financial reasons, and maintains a board of directors.
Controversial antics
The Centurion holds counterprotests and has held an affirmative action bake saleAffirmative action bake sale
An affirmative action bake sale is a campus protest event used by student groups to illustrate criticism of affirmative action policies, especially as they relate to college and graduate school admissions...
four times. It prints specific names and pictures of "liberal" students in its issues from Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. In a matter subject to privacy implications, the paper has printed names of students who have "liberal" adornments on their dormitory doors. The magazine's inaugural headline was "Conservatives Launch Publication at Rutgers: Intolerant Diversity-Haters Promote Fanatical Agenda." Since then it has had such tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
headlines as "Mayor of New Orleans doesn't care about Black People" after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and "Abandon all Hope Ye Who Enter Here," over the campus gate; a spin off one of the cantons in the Divine Comedy and one of the covers for the National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
.
"Awards"
The magazine gives sarcastic "awards" to faculty and students for holding views which the staff of the Centurion consider "liberal". One such award, for "Liberal of the Month," was given to English department Professor Richard Dienst. The editors printed a private letter from Professor Dienst to the Dean of Rutgers College requesting that "disciplinary action" be taken against the O'Keefe and Mertz. This occurred after they confronted Professor Dienst with a video camera and asked him if he believed in the United States ConstitutionUnited States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, since he supposedly told a dissenting Republican student "You have no first amendment rights." After the editors obtained the disciplinary letter, they printed it on page 18 of the October 2005 issue. In another instance the editors presented a certificate bearing the "Centurion Award" to a history professor with the most pro-Democrat posters adorning his office door.
In late July, former editor in chief and founder James O'Keefe along with board member David Maxham set out to have the American flag hung up in every classroom at Rutgers. After approaching several deans, including Co-Vice Chair Brian Rose, the boys were told such an act would be "problematic" and that hanging up the American flag would give argument to others who would intend to adorn classrooms with their own symbols. Unsatisfied with the response, the students created a video , which caught the attention of the Jersey Guys on 101.5 FM. The issue was discussed as Centurion members Daniel Francisco and David Maxham fielded questions live on air on July 31, 2006. The radio show hosts shared the views of the students and pledged to help the Centurion on the issue.
Controversial issues of the magazine
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
and criticized his sympathy and support for the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Robeson, a Lenin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...
winner, has the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Rutgers University named in his honor.
The magazine often points out that economist Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
, Rutgers '32, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and very influential in Chicago school of economics, has no facility named after him.
The March 2006 issue featured the infamous Danish cartoon
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
depicting Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Centurion Editors-in-Chief, 2004 to Present
- 2004-2006 James O'KeefeJames O'KeefeJames E. O'Keefe III is a conservative American activist who has produced controversial audio and video recordings of public figures and workers in a variety of organizations...
- 2006-2007 Daniel Whitney
- 2007-2008 Kian Barry
- 2008 Dan Bigos
- 2009 Kyle Barry
- 2010 Jordan Romvary
See also
- The Daily TargumThe Daily TargumThe Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
- Rutgers' daily student newspaper - Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
- Rutgers University student organizationsRutgers University student organizationsRutgers University hosts over 700 student organizations, covering a wide range of interests. Governed and funded by student government, students can organize groups for any political ideology or issue, ethnic or religious affiliation, academic subject, activity, or hobby...
External links
- The Centurion Official Website
- Centurion Video Gallery Videos of Students confronting professors
- My Right-Wing Degree A Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
article on LI's relationship with The Centurion. - Conservative "Alternative" Media The Centurion's relationship with other conservative papers
- "You're Going Down!" An incident regarding The Centurion's first faculty advisor
- "Conservatives Raise Voice on Campus" An article in the Daily Targum about The Centurion.
- "Conservative Newspapers Circulate Across the Country" An article about The Centurion in Human EventsHuman EventsHuman Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
Magazine