May and June of 2017 saw attacks on civil discourse at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.听听Scott Jaschik reported on Insidehighered.com about repeated campus closures due to threats to the faculty, ranging from employment termination to stalking and physical violence. Long known for its liberal mission of tolerance, open debate and inclusion, many are asking if some in the community took the mission a bit afield.听听Much of the trouble can be traced to professor Bret Weinstein鈥檚 refusal to absent himself from campus on the college鈥檚 annual Day of Absence, when organizers requested white people stay off campus.听听Weinstein called this 鈥渁n act of oppression,鈥� claiming, 鈥淥n a college campus, one鈥檚 right to speak 鈥� or to be 鈥� must never be based on skin color.鈥� Although participation in this event is considered voluntary, many believe Weinstein was targeted because he is white and refused to stay off campus. Additionally, Weinstein questioned a proposed hiring policy requiring that new hires be based extensively on whether they further the college鈥檚 diversity and equity efforts thereby 鈥渟ubordinat(ing) all other characteristics.鈥澨齏einstein was met with such hostility for his views that the campus police suggested he stay away for his own safety.听听Graffiti calling for his termination, and a written threat to 鈥渆xecute as many people on that campus as I can鈥� led many to fear that the protesters were in control of the campus, and that the president, George Bridges, had not done enough to make the campus safe.听听While he is sympathetic to both positions, Bridges stated that discrimination of any form (be it racist acts or restricting freedom of expression) is not acceptable: 鈥渄isagreement is one thing; dehumanization is another.鈥�
Student protesters took to 鈥榮haming鈥� Dr. Weinstein on social media, and defending their own behavior while explicitly linking campus activities to other race-based protests across the country.听听President Bridges admitted that, 鈥渁 few members of the Evergreen community have used traditional and social media to malign, mock, or misrepresent those who whom they disagree.鈥� Weinstein鈥檚 colleagues circulated a letter, which over 50 signed, questioning whether he deserves disciplinary action for having 鈥渆ndangered faculty, staff and students, making them the targets of white supremacist backlash by promulgating misinformation in public emails, on national television, in news outlets and on social media.鈥澨齈rotesters also criticized those who posted sympathetic responses and those who do not find Weinstein鈥檚 behavior racist.听听Notably,聽The New York Times聽columnist Frank Bruni compared the proceedings at Evergreen to the Inquisition.听听In the months that followed, Weinstein and his wife (another Evergreen professor) threatened to sue the school, eventually resigning and settling the lawsuit for half a million dollars.听听Meanwhile, the college has instituted new student conduct rules, similar to those in place at other colleges, that restrict where, when, and how many people can gather to protest on campus at one time.
Works Cited:
Jaschik, Scott. 鈥淲ho Defines What Is Racist?鈥�听听
—.聽 鈥淓vergreen Regroups Amid Discord鈥澛�