When did becoming really careful about speech become a bad thing? The fact that we are legally enabled to say mean things does not infer that we are obliged to do so. What the OP calls political correctness, my parents taught me to be civility.
I am only 4 Blocks into my CC career, but I can say that the college is an environment which encourages frank discussion. If anyone ( including some new students who seem to want to stir a pot that doesn’t really exist) took a look at the CC statistics, it would be apparent that the college has made a dramatic - and nation leading - attempt to diversify our campus. It is unfair for anyone from the outside to comment without knowing the environment, the parties involved in the controversy and the facts of the specific case at hand.
I don’t know Thad. I believe he was trying to say something funny. Indeed, had he made the same joke in his apartment lounge or at a local restaurant with just a few friends, the comment would have largely been forgotten by now. That said, it was a humorous statement rooted in mean spirit. Furthermore, it was a comment broadcast to the entire CC community without inflection or context. Most importantly, it was a comment within the theater of vitriol that is Yik Yak. It seems as if every student at CC had a 4.0 GPA in high school. Each of us ought to be smart enough to know that it would be easy to misconstrue the statement. Thad is not the first person in history to come up with a funny line in his head which was borne of a mean spirit. Most, however, keep such things to themselves or make the thought public in a very limited and controlled manner.
That said, Thad’s statement was broadcast to everyone within 5 miles of campus. CC had to act, and the investigation seems to have uncovered some related statements that may or may not have been made by the two disciplined students. The lesson is not that CC loves to supress the free discourse of ideas. The lesson is that CC demands civility within our community - a discipline more important than any traditional topic taught within the walls of the college.