Guerrilla journalist James O'Keefe has exposed Barry University in Florida for its willingness to assist students in setting up an ISIS club, after exposing a similar situation at Cornell University a week ago.
All that's needed to start a club at Barry University is a faculty signature, which a senior at the university near Miami pretending to start the club, working on behalf of O'Keefe's
Project Veritas, had no trouble getting.
The Barry University student who was trying to set up the fake-club told Derek Bley, Coordinator for Leadership Development & Student Organizations, that she wanted to call the club "Sympathetic Students in Support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria."
She described the proposed ISIS club as "a humanitarian club," in which the campus group would "raise funds to send overseas" as aid to the terror group.
The funds, she explained, would go toward helping "the widows and the children of people who have died over there in the Islamic State," which would include "care packages and then they could have pencils and stuff," such as flashlights "because a lot of the fighters can't see at night."
She asked if the school would be able to help donate items for the care packages, Bley recommended contacting the bookstore.
But he did warn that "bulk shipments" could cost "thousands of dollars."
In addition, she explained that the club would work on "trying to like educate them and give them funding so that they don't have to be impoverished and get involved in acts of violence. So that's what it is, I mean, they are [terrorists], but we're trying to help them," she said.
Citing a recent statement by
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, who said that "lack of opportunities for jobs" contributed to terrorism, the student journalist told Bley that "they're taking the approach where like you should create jobs, and help promote education in the Islamic State because that's what helps reduce terrorism."
Once Bley explained to the student how to start the club and she described the purpose of the club, she asked if it would be okay for her to start the club.
"Yeah. We're not here to limit people and their clubs," the school official said. "If there is a demand or a need, or an interest that students have to do this, we're here to support that."
Although he did "recommend . . . coming up with one or two other possible names just in case this one does not get through."
When she came back a couple of days later to discuss what to call it, she said maybe "International Development Club," Bley said he thought it was "a great idea."
When she talked to Frederique Frage, associate director of International and Multicultural Programs at Barry University, and Daisy Santiago, International and Multicultural Programs Coordinator, the main problem they had with the proposed club was the name, but they offered suggestions.
"We talked about maybe saying in the Middle East . . . [Sympathetic Students] in Support of the Middle East," Santiago said.
Once the name was established, the student was able to enlist Professor Pawena Sirimangkala as the club's adviser, and she signed the application needed to start the club.
"I'm glad to do it," she said.
Barry University has released a statement about the operation to create the fake pro-ISIS club,
the Miami Herald is reporting.
"It is immensely hurtful to our university community, to the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan who founded and continue to sponsor Barry University, and to the international members of the Dominican Order who have suffered as a result of the violence created by ISIS,"
said Sister Linda Bevilacqua, the university president.
Bevilacqua said that "Barry University does not and never will allow or authorize the formation of an ISIS related humanitarian aid group on campus," adding the the paperwork was never actually filed.
"If a student or students are interested in forming a recognized student organization, they are advised on the established processes to follow for approval," but she added that it's not a guarantee that the club would be approved.
She also claims that "the images and video released were edited and spliced to unfairly represent the university and staff being featured."
After Project Vertias worked to see if a similar pro-ISIS group could be
started at Cornell University, O'Keefe
told Newsmax that "political correctness is pervasive on campus . . . but we were shocked."
Watch the video here.
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