Evergreen profs asked to make 'accommodations' for protesters

Evergreen State College’s provost asked professors to consider “the physical and emotional commitment” of student protesters when deciding their final grades.

In emails obtained by Campus Reform through an open records request, the embattled school’s Interim Provost Ken Tabbutt reminded faculty members that “student protesters have diverted time and energy from their academic work to promote institutional change and social justice,” and should therefore be treated leniently with regard to grading.

[RELATED: VIDEO: Evergreen protesters hold admins hostage over demands]

“Academic work of students that have not been involved in the protests may also have been affected; many feel that the campus is not safe,” Tabbutt added, observing that “the students impacted may be disproportionately represented in some academic programs but this extends throughout the entire curriculum.”  

Tabbutt did acknowledge that “student evaluations” would ultimately be left up to the “professional judgement of the faculty,” however, explaining that he was simply “asking” professors to “consider the physical and emotional commitment the students have made and consider accommodations for that effort, including the learning that is going on outside of your program.”

In a separate email, Tabbutt reiterated that professors ought to approach the “conclusion of spring quarter” with “awareness and sensitivity to complex student needs.”

“Whether or not students in your course or program were directly involved in the protest, all of the community is affected,” he stated, adding that “awareness and sensitivity to complex student needs can go a long way toward promoting a successful conclusion of spring quarter for your students.”

[RELATED: Conservative student flees radical climate at Evergreen State]

Notably, as Campus Reform previously reported, College President George Bridges had agreed to comply with a student demand that protesters be excused from homework assignments while they demonstrated their disgust with a professor who had raised concerns about a diversity event that involved asking white students and faculty to leave campus for a day.

Campus Reform reached out to Tabbutt for comment on the matter, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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