Recent vandalism of College Republican fliers shows the lack of success of Unity Through Diversity Week and that discrimination of groups other than minorities exists, CR President Gary Yambor said.

Yambor said some fliers he posted in DuSable Hall Tuesday were vandalized by the time he saw them again the next day.

The fliers were covered with graffiti and offensive slogans, such as “fascists,” “male whites only,” and “this week’s guest speaker, Adolf Hitler.”

This is nothing new to the CR, Yambor said. He said vandalism of their fliers and other advertisements has been going on for a number of years. For example, blackboard messages put up in classrooms by members of the organization routinely are defaced with swastikas, he said.

“And others of our messages, if not vandalized, are simply ripped down,” Yambor said.

Mary Kendrigan, former CR president and current member, said, “We don’t mind people disagreeing with us, but we wish they’d come forward with their criticisms.

“We don’t have any absolute proof as to the identity of the vandals, and we don’t want to accuse anyone (of the vandalism) right now.”

owever, Yambor said he suspects “radical college liberals” are behind the graffiti.

“Liberals who are afraid to confront the issues, who aren’t willing to openly confront us, write on these fliers,” Yambor said. “I’m willing to debate the issues with anyone who would come forward.

“I don’t think the person who wrote Hitler was our guest speaker on the fliers even knows who Hitler is. Hitler, as a socialist, was closer to the left than he was to the right.”

Claims by the vandal(s) that the CR are for “male whites only” are invalid also, Yambor said.

e said the first vice president of the CR is hispanic and the second vice president is a female. Yambor also pointed out that Kendrigan was the organization’s president for two years before he took the post. “Many other Hispanics, Asians, and females are members as well as white males.”

Another thing that Yambor and Kendrigan said bothered them was the fact that this most recent vandalism comes during Unity Through Diversity Week, when the problems of discrimination are a major issue.

Yambor said he is angry that the NIU CR were not invited to sponsor the Unity Through Diversity Week programs like other organizations were. He said a few liberal organizations, such as the John Lennon Society, were asked to be sponsors.

“Many liberals point a finger at the right as being racist,” Yambor said. He said the exclusion of the CR from Unity Through Diversity Week only reinforces this thought.