What does Stanford have against the American flag?

Stanford University has denied the College Republicans’ request for a new logo on T-shirts because it shows an “altered version” of the American flag. Stanford said it “does not approve the use of the American (or other flag) on product also featuring our trademarks (including the Stanford name).”

Jennifer Kabbany of NRO’s College Fix consulted Stanford’s lengthy trademark guide on the university’s website. Using a word search, she found no mention of flags. Stanford apparently has not responded to a request by Fox News for clarification.

Why does Stanford object to American flag-like images on products featuring its name? What has it got against our flag.

To be fair, Stanford isn’t discriminating against our flag. Stanford says its policy applies to the flags of other countries, as well.

This isn’t much of defense, though. If a college bans the display of the American flag on campus, as some colleges have done, we shouldn’t be mollified if it also bans the display of flags from other countries. Instead, we should view the ban as unpatriotic. For Americans, the American flag is not the equivalent of, say, Bulgaria’s, Nigeria’s, or South Korea’s.

The Stanford case is a little different. The University isn’t banning the American flag from campus (as far as I know), but rather its use to promote an organization on material that also uses the Stanford name. However, a more generous policy would not favor Republicans. Democrats could use the flag too.

Stanford said it would approve a “red/white/blue themed product” such as the one featured on the College Republicans’ website. But the College Republicans don’t want to use the old logo, and Stanford shouldn’t be dictating how, artistically, they go about promoting themselves.