George Washington University's Ruling OKing Swastikas on Campus Reported Internationally, Says Prof John Banzhaf

Washington, DC, May 31, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The decision by George Washington University [GWU] to reverse its earlier ruling suspending a student for briefly displaying a swastika on campus is being widely reported around the world in English [e.g., InsideHigherEd.com], abroad [e.g. The Times of India] and in other languages [e.g., WiKi News in Hindi], but the school has been strangely silent about its apparent reversal of policy, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

Although GWU had previously released a widely-reported statement that “the act of posting [a swastika] in a university residence hall is utterly unacceptable,” [Message From George Washington University President Steven Knapp], GWU has now reportedly agreed to permit the student who displayed it in a university residence hall to return, but it has not publicly announced nor explained this new decision, according to The Hatchet school newspaper.

Perhaps, as one higher education web site, The College Fix, has reported, “All it took was international condemnation and threats of legal action!” Indeed, since its original statement announcing the suspension was hailed by the student newspaper as an outstanding example of "Proactive Messaging Strategy," it looks as if its strategic communications strategy may have backfired, suggests Banzhaf.

As reported by The Hatchet, representatives from a number of major organizations also wrote angry letters to GWU's President, demanding that the student not be expelled, and hinting at possible legal action

The incident was very widely reported, both here and in dozens of media outlets abroad, usually critically and often sarcastically, since it seemed to many like a gross overreaction, notes Banzhaf.