East Carolina University’s 2022 faculty convocation reveals woke ideology among university staff
On August 19, East Carolina University hosted a faculty convocation where the woke ideology of the university’s higher-ups took center-stage.
Faculty member Anne Ticknor criticized right-wing legislation that limits the teaching of critical race theory and the 1619 project in schools.
On August 19, East Carolina University (ECU) hosted a faculty convocation where the woke ideology of the university’s higher-ups took center-stage.
A faculty convocation is typically a meeting for university staff to discuss important information regarding the school’s upcoming year, like introducing new faculty members, going over course materials and syllabi, and presenting awards.
At ECU, however, this year’s faculty convocation was used to forward left-wing ideology at the university, such as through land acknowledgments, diversity and inclusion measures, discussing the “dangers” of right-wing legislation, and support for LGBTQ students.
According to the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, who had someone attend the convocation’s Livestream, the event opened with an “acknowledgment” of the land on which the university was built, which is the Native American Tuscarora tribe.
Land acknowledgments have become a popular left-wing talking point at universities in recent years, through which faculty and administrators push the notion that Americans should acknowledge the fact that we live on, and stole, land from indigenous peoples during the age of colonization.
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Continuing the woke theme of the night, ECU chancellor Philip G. Rogers said that diversity, equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies represent the school’s mission, vision, and values.
The Martin Center also relayed that a talk about LGBTQ support took place at the convocation.
The chair of the Health Sciences Sexual and Gender Diversity Committee (SGDC), Brandon Kyle, said the purpose of his organization is “to foster a campus climate that is inclusive of and welcoming toward LGBTQ individuals, to promote information relevant to LGBTQ health in educational curriculum, and to support best practices in LGBTQ healthcare,” according to Ashlynn Warta, writer for the Martin Center.
Faculty member Anne Ticknor added to the chorus of left-wing speeches, criticizing right-wing legislation that limits the teaching of critical race theory and the 1619 project in schools for oppressing the LGBTQ community and racial minorities.
She calls the effects of such legislation, according to the Martin Center, “the Secret Hurt.”
“While I think it’s very inappropriate that liberal ideologies were pushed at the event; I find it more of a disgrace that staff members would talk negatively about conservative legislation,” said Montgomery Coudreit, an ECU Senior and President of ECU College Republicans.
“It’s not appropriate for people in that position to talk negatively about either political party's ideology due to the fact there are staff and students with many differing political beliefs,” he emphasized.
Campus Reform reached out to ECU, Brandon Kyle, and Anne Ticknor for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
