LU College Democrats lose Club Sponsor and President in the same day

As they say, when one door shuts another one opens. This has been just a despicable series of events over the last week at Liberty University. Liberty University College Democrats Advisor, Maria Childress has been dismissed as their sponsor and advisor and Club President Brian Diaz has resigned and will be transferring to a different school.

The story about the misdemeanor traffic, assault charges, and court records of Maria Childress first appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Thursday and then was picked up by WSLS 10 (Roanoke) and reported by them first think Friday morning. The court records that have been obtained by these traditional news outlets are public record, but a closer examination of the assault charges reveals that they were filed previously by the same people. First by Barbara Ann Stanley Childress (Maria Childress' former mother-in-law) and the latest that did stick by Billy Franklin Childress (former father-in-law). It is clear from looking at the court records that issues have developed between Maria and her former in-laws. These are separate issues from the issues with Liberty University and the College Democrats.

My first question about this whole series of events is, why was the Richmond Times Dispatch be reporting on this latest story (article found in the metro business section) as the first paper to report on Maria Childress' court record? How would the Richmond Times Dispatch even know that Maria Childress even had a court record and or even have the investigative instincts to even look in that direction? Why is it that the story went from Richmond to Roanoke before it was reported in the Lynchburg News Advance this morning?

Now, to be fair, there are more things in the court record and only relate to traffic and car equipment issues. These are things that Maria is dealing with or had dealt with, and she will have to address as she moves forward. But, it's laughable for Jerry Falwell, Jr. to accuse Maria Childress, Brian Dias, and the LU College Democrats of distorting facts and issues when the only conclusion I can come to is that Falwell and Liberty University are perpetrating a character assassination campaign against a 2004 LU Alumni who went to work for them after she graduated. It seems that working for Liberty University is like working for the MOB. Defy or step out of line at your own risk.

Maria still has a job at Liberty University in a capacity that she will have little or limited contact with the students, as the secretary of the Honors Program in the Student Affairs Office (hum, OK?). At some point, when this whole thing has come to a final resolution, I hope that Maria has her chance to tell her side of the story.

As for Brian Diaz, good luck. He will be moving onto a better school that doesn't crack-down on opposition political parties like they are the Iranian Ruling Council.