Evergreen State faculty publicly praise student thuggery
In the latest development out of Evergreen State College, more than 50 faculty and staff members have released a statement condoning the behavior of the school’s now-infamous protesters.
As Campus Reform previously reported, video leaked from inside Evergreen shows that protesters had at one point held administrators hostage until they agreed to comply with their demands, even prohibiting the school’s president from using the restroom without a vigilant cadre of escorts.
The incident took place during the second day of demonstrations demanding the resignation of Professor Bret Weinstein, who angered many students when he challenged the school’s decision to ask white people to leave campus for a day of diversity programming in an all-staff email—an incident that dominated national headlines.
[RELATED: White prof harassed for questioning diversity event]
Now, at least 50 faculty members and a handful of staff have released a statement in “solidarity” with those very same protesters.
“We acknowledge that all of us who have power within the institution share responsibility for the racist actions of others,” the statement begins, adding that “those of us who are white bear a particularly large share of that responsibility.”
The statement then goes on to praise Evergreen President George Bridge for his decision “not to use the misguided language of the current Student Conduct Code to punish the protestors,” affirming the students’ “right to protest.”
[RELATED: Lawmakers propose defunding Evergreen amid protests]
“We vehemently reject the claim that students have been violent simply because they have been loud and emphatic,” it continues, arguing that “there is a difference between exercising the right to freely voice an opinion and inciting violence—and that difference has nothing to do with volume or forcefulness.”
Before concluding, though, the faculty members put forward their own set of demands, including “pursuing a disciplinary investigation” against Weinstein “according to guidelines in the Social Contract and Faculty Handbook,” despite previously praising President Bridges for not punishing student protesters according to the “Student Conduct Code.”
“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 faculty add, before demanding that the administration “center student perspectives in a persistent media approach to counter the alt-right narratives that are demonizing Evergreen and Day of Absence specifically.”
[RELATED: Evergreen pres agrees to excuse protesters from homework]
“We are angry and frustrated and concerned,” the statement concluded. “We also believe, however, that if the College can muster a meaningful collective response to recent events, this can be a powerful lever for growth in student numbers, success, and equity–and for future institutional change.”
Campus Reform has repeatedly reached out to Evergreen for comment on the situation, but has yet to receive a response.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AGockowski
