Two years ago the Pope Foundation tried to give UNC-Chapel Hill money for a curriculum in Western Civilization, and the tenured socialists put a temporary halt to their perennial wailing and gnashing of teeth about how woefully small the university budget is and threw a collective tantrum about someone wishing to give millions of dollars to the school voluntarily. Among other things, including name-calling more befitting angry third-graders than supposed “higher minds,” they called the money from the Popes “tainted.” Never mind that the university had been glad to receive funds from the Popes for years.

Now at NC State, the prospect of Pope Foundation grants helping to fund programs at NC State (and not even that dangerous, radical, societal fabric-tearing stuff like Western Civ, but such things as “study abroad scholarships” and “French and German programs”) has — despite years without complaint — generated the same kind of low, personal garbage, as seen in today’s News & Observer:

A debate that became heated at UNC-Chapel Hill is now under way at N.C. State University — whether to accept new donations from the John William Pope Foundation of Raleigh.

At a meeting Monday of faculty from NCSU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, some professors spoke out against the idea, although no specific proposal is on the table. …

“This is dirty money,” said David Auerbach, a philosophy professor.

David Ambaras, an associate professor of history, said NCSU risks losing autonomy by aligning itself with organizations that have argued against public money for higher education. “I think it’s a very dangerous step to take,” Ambaras said, “to even accept a penny of this money.”

Goodness, I’ve argued against public money for higher education for years. I’d be pleased if the State of North Carolina would cease taking “even a penny” from me for it. But of course, I have no say in the matter — and the faculty complainers have no problem with the state seizing money from my family to support them.

I have tried to figure out what constitute “proper” funding sources according to them, but one thing is abundantly clear: the only time the academic leftists don’t object to money from conservatives and free-market capitalists is when the state takes it from them by force.