We previously discussed the proposal at Evergreen State College to have all white faculty, staff, and students leave campus for a day as part of a “Day of Absence” to raise awareness of the contribution of the black community. Evergreen State College biology professor Bret Weinstein made a reasoned objection to the plan for this year’s “Day of Absence.” As shown in a videotape, there was a mob scene around Weinstein as students called him a racist and called for his resignation. Protests have denounced his “anti-blackness” and demanded his removal from teaching. Now, the faculty at Evergreen State College has sent a letter to students supporting the protesters and their demands for disciplinary action of Prof. Weinstein.
The faculty called for none of the students to be disciplined under “the misguided language of the current Student Conduct Code.” The letter also calls for actions to counter “alt-right narratives that are demonizing Evergreen and Day of Absence specifically.” The most disturbing call for action is the last:
Demonstrate accountability by pursuing a disciplinary investigation against Bret Weinstein according to guidelines in the Social Contract and Faculty Handbook. Weinstein has endangered faculty, staff, and students, making them targets of white supremacist backlash by promulgating misinformation in public emails, on national television, in news outlets, and on social media.
The videotape of the students was appalling it their treatment of Weinstein and I fail to see why Weinstein’s objections to this discriminatory proposal is worthy of investigation.
The 71 professors state that they are “angry and frustrated and concerned” but seem little concerned for academic freedom or free speech, a growing failure among faculty in other schools (as demonstrated recently at Northwestern). I fail to see why Weinstein should be investigated in standing up against a deeply troubling proposal and arguing that “On a college campus, one’s right to speak — or to be — must never be based on skin color.”
Racial protests have occurred all year and in January, according to the student newspaper the Cooper Point Journal, students grabbed a microphone during a ceremony welcoming the new police chief and chanted “F— cops!” There is a concern that Evergreen could face that same downward spiral of University of Missouri after a series of protests over racisms and demands to reforms. We have discussed how the school is now faced with plunging enrollments and budget problems.
President George Bridges has refused to take any action against the students and agreed with protesters to require mandatory cultural competency training for all faculty and staff. He has also ordered a comprehensive effort to combat what minority students describe as a hostile environment.
The letter is likely to exacerbate tensions with legislators who are looking at options for stripping funds from the college and even forcing it to go private (a move that could result in the closure of the school). Republican State Rep. Matt Manweller is leading the effort. Manweller wants the school to move into private ownership over five years. It could be a tough transition in this economic environment after the state withdraws its $24 million in capital funding currently allocated under the state budget.
Threats have led to closures on campus. Weinstein himself was not allowed to teach in his classroom but instead meet his students in a park out of fear of violence. He wrote about that decision:
This presented traditional independent academic minds with a choice: Accept the plan and let the intellectual descendants of Critical Race Theory dictate the bounds of permissible thought to the sciences and the rest of the college, or insist on discussing the plan’s shortcomings and be branded as racists. Most of my colleagues chose the former, and the protesters are in the process of articulating the terms. I dissented and ended up teaching in the park.
Here is the letter: Faculty letter
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Oh here it is, with names at the end!
https://www.scribd.com/document/350202690/Evergreen-State-College-faculty-and-staff-call-for-punishment-of-Biology-Prof-Bret-Weinstein
“The letter” has been removed from Google Docs. Those faculty members who signed it should not escape accountability so easily. I hope a copy can be found in archives.
Might care to see what The Olympian reports student Justin Puckett said. I thought it quite responsible.
About 62 faculty signed the letter, presumably about 20% of the total. This and the president’s acts indicate the school is silly and unreformable. It’s doing no favors to the public to ‘privatize’ it. Shut it down and sell off the physical plant to real estate developers and the equipment to salvage firms.
Susan is correct. Entirely correct. States cannot support the Klan either.
Weinstein stood up to racists who were trying to prevent paying students from attending class.
The students, and the faculty who signed that letter, are defending a racist act, and are agains the freedom of speech and academic freedom. Isn’t that why they clamor for tenure? Academic freedom? I guess it’s only supported if it’s ultra Liberal.
In any case, the school should be sued and investigated for civil rights violations. Parents, vote accordingly. Although, to be honest, that horrid logo would be sufficient turn off for me. Is that cartoon drawing representative of the caliber student they are producing?
That may be the only way to teach fascists.
Good points. I very much like the idea of the lawsuits for civil rights violations. This should definitely go to the next level.
Related to Jill’s comments, earlier today:
Twilight of the Courts: The Elusive Search for Justice in the American Police State
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/twilight_of_the_courts_the_elusive_search_for_justice_in_the_american_
By John W. Whitehead
June 05, 2017
“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”—Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
We have entered a new regime and it’s called the American police state. -John Whitehead
Turley has a responsibility to correct his misleading post, “I am history”. The principal who was removed from his position worked in a contractor school that had mostly Black students enrolled. According to a Times-Picayune, May 25 article, the principal was standing at a site where civil war monuments were being taken down but, there were more significant incidents that provoked the end to his employment. Turley omitted the important findings.
His employment did not end.
Thank you for your attention to the issue. Do you think the blog posts at this site fit a narrative? If information doesn’t fit the narrative, it is omitted?
Political correctness can degenerate into groupthink and a mob mentality. If free speech advocates use political correctness as a litmus test then the First Amendment is destined to become nugatory.
PeaceFrog:
“Political correctness ̶c̶a̶n̶ a͇l͇w͇a͇y͇s͇ ͇w͇i͇l͇l͇ degenerate into groupthink and a mob mentality.”
The Olympian obtained a copy of the threat, which was made to law enforcement. The threat: “Yes, I’m on my way to Evergreen University now with a .44 Magnum. I am gonna execute as many people on that campus as I can get a hold of. You have that? What’s going on there? You communist, scumbag town. I’m going to murder as many people on that campus as I can. Just keep your eyes open, you scumbag.”
This is the “threat” that has the Evergreen Campus closed today. $50 says it’s one of their own, meaning one of the Evergreen students..probably didn’t want to do his/her/they homework.
I hope they find the person responsible. It may indeed be contrived victimhood, or it may not. They need to find and prosecute the person responsible. If the person referred to a “clip” for their firearm, then we’d know for sure it was a Liberal posing as a conservative. Without that damning reference, though, it really could go either way. There are crazy people in this world.
Overlay the cadre of a United States Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot
on Evergreen State College and allow that unit to conduct vigorous
administration, including discipline.
The faculty will instruct as ordered.
The student body will shut its mouth, open its ears and exercise its brains.
There will be order and rational curricula resulting in eminently marketable graduates.
That is all.
What a fool.
I hope Weinstein has tenure and a good attorney. He can always turn the tables and claim anti semitism – beat the SJWs at their own game.
Where the hell is US AG Jeff Sessions in this madness? Why would Sessions not threaten criminal charges against the College and administrators?
If a College was to BAR blacks or any other particular race except white, and if Jesus Obama was POTUS, you can bet your arse the freekin’ National Guard would be there to “restore order.”
FAIL Sessions and his boss Trump.
I agree, in part. Shouldn’t the state step in first?
Prairie Rose,
I wondered about that also. This is a state school and it seems like the state has a legal reason to intervene.
From the faculty letter:
“Demonstrate accountability by pursuing a disciplinary investigation against Bret Weinstein according to guidelines in the Social Contract and Faculty Handbook. Weinstein has endangered faculty, staff, and students, making them targets of white supremacist backlash by promulgating misinformation in public emails, on national television, in news outlets, and on social media.”
*************************
Let the show trials begin. How Kafka.
Jeesh, you don’t want to take disciplinary actions against people threatening violence, do you? That would just be wrong. Of course you need to go after the guy who was actually threatened! It only makes sense!!!
I also loved how the students didn’t want the videos of their actions to be made public. You would think these freedom fighters would relish the entire world seeing their amazing selves in action!
“I also loved how the students didn’t want the videos of their actions to be made public.”
That is very scary in itself. What would Evergreen be then–a black site?
Along this line, do they publish a pamphlet for domestic abuse victims advising them not to piss off their significant other, and under no circumstances call the police, because that will only make them more angry?
Karen,
You know I thought of the same thing as what you wrote. That is exactly what this reminded me of. These people are abusers so they don’t want their abuse known and they do blame the victim.
WOW! So the students act like a bunch of undisciplined thugs, and it is the professor’s fault?!?!? WOW!! Are you actually an adult? Or are one of the thug rioters?!?
Does anybody have a working link to the faculty letter?
They took it down — probably at the behest of the Trustees who seem to have finally awakened to the insanity.
But I am surprised there is not a copy of it somewhere on the internet. Has anyone tried the
Wayback machine?
At Evergreen University and this blog’s comment section, many can’t “See the forest from the trees”.
Scared people are irrational people.
In the news today, Evergreen closed for yet another day due to “threats”.