We'll take a brief respite from the K-12 woke wars to look at a recent incident at Trinity College in Connecticut. I haven't focused as much on colleges lately because everyone pretty much understands they are nuts, and college kids are older, so they are not as "at-risk," psychologically, as younger kids. (Although that's debatable at times.)
Trinity used to be a nice little liberal arts college. A family member went there. It was where kids who weren't getting into Ivies could go and have an Ivy-ish experience. Its vibe was never as crazy as many of the other similar schools in New England, such as Bowdoin or Middlebury. (Or Wesleyan - nobody out-crazies Wesleyan).
It was also a safe space for conservative kids, at least as safe as one could to find in the Northeast.
But that all changed when they made the enormous mistake of hiring this woman:
How often do the destroyers come in the form of hyphenated names? (Answer: a lot. Coincidentally, the villainess in Campusland also had a hyphenated name.)
When Berger-Sweeney got to Trinity, she decided to go all-in on the social justice train. The character of the school changed almost overnight, as did the nature of the student body. The few fraternities left are under constant bureaucratic assault.
You know the drill.
The first big warning sign was when Republican Congressman Steve Scalise and staffers were shot during a baseball practice in 2017. A Trinity sociology professor named Johnny Williams weighed in about what he thought you should do if you saw a Republican bleeding in the street. He used a hashtag.
#letthemfuckingdie
Berger-Sweeney had his back. First Amendment, and all. (Bear that in mind as you read below.) Williams is still on the faculty.
What kills me is that Trinity had a niche. If they'd doubled down on that niche, they'd be unique in New England right now. Applications and money would have ballooned. It would have been a nearby alternative for all the kids now heading south to find some semblance of a normal college experience. Instead, Trinity decided to be like every other school in pursuing an anti-intellectual, anti-American agenda. Social justice warriors welcome here.
The results were dismally predictable.
The endowment is hurting. Of course it is when they are giving all the big donors a ready-made excuse to send their money elsewhere. They certainly don't call me anymore. (Not that I fall into the big donor category.)
Message to Trinity parents and alums if you are currently giving: stop.
Which brings us to a recent incident. Read this letter from a passel of deans (my comments in bold):
Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,
We write you to inform you about an incident that recently took place on campus. A student studying in the library reported that he heard a group of Trinity students being insensitive to the violence and suffering that Palestinians and Israelis are currently experiencing.
Someone was being insensitive? Smithers, release the hounds! And my money says they were being insensitive about Palestinians, not Israelis, which is what has the left's panties in a bunch.
When confronted, the students were reported to be dismissive and lacking in empathy for the humanity of all affected. We recognize the courage of the student who spoke up and sought assistance to address this situation.
So some other student rats out his/her classmates for saying words she doesn't like in a private conversation, and she has courage?
We have been in contact with several students present and are collecting relevant information in order to identify who was involved and what their role was in the incident. This information will inform our process going forward.
Process for what?
We ask that each of us extend compassion and support to one another.
All except the kids who were being insensitive about Hamas terrorists. Those kids are gonna hang.
To all who may be looking for support, please don't hesitate to reach out, especially to those offices that stand ready to assist you.
Sincerely,
Joe DiChristina - VP Student Success and Enrollment Management
Jody Goodman - Dean of Student Life
Rob Lukaskiewicz - Dean of Community Life and Standards
Ann Reuman - Senior Assoc. Dean and Special Asst. to the VP for Student Success
John Selders - Asst. Dean and Coordinator of Student Standards
Yes, these are real people and those are actual job titles. If you ever wonder why your kid's tuition is so high, look no further than the creation of all these ridiculous, meddling admin positions.
This is where we are now. Kids being praised as "courageous" for ratting out the private conversations of other kids. And what were they talking about? Committing a crime? Blowing up a dorm? No, they were being "insensitive" and "lacking in empathy." This is what merits a full investigation along with a university communication these days.
And what sort of kangaroo court will decide what constitutes the proper level of "empathy?"
Berger-Sweeney and her ilk hide behind the First Amendment when it protects her own faculty member when he suggested, very publicly, we let Republicans die in the streets. But some kids who "lacked empathy" in a private conversation?
Somewhere, Torquemada is smiling with approval.
How miserable you must be.
ReplyDeleteMr. Best, these lame little drive-bys aren't going to get you your job back.
Deletecan you post a link to the letter?
ReplyDeleteThis shouldn't surprise anyone. Another example of liberal elites destroying our education system in the name of social justice. While the skills needed to compete in the world continue to grow, progressives think the solution is to dumb everything down. Future generations will pay the price as the rest of the world leaves the US behind.
ReplyDeleteWhat a crock!
ReplyDeleteSenior Assc Dean & Special Asst to the VP for Student Success?! What a joke! And every year, Trinity raises tuition for this baloney. I'm glad my son graduated a few years ago although we did have to endure the JBS & Johnny Williams embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteYour writing does not embody the values espoused by the St. Matthew's community.
ReplyDeleteI'm a member of the St. Matthew's community and his writing certainly embodies MY values. Nice of you to speak for the entire community - did someone appoint you to this position? I was not informed.
DeleteWhich has nothing to do with the post. You want to write about the petty disputes of those on your vestry, take it somewhere else.
DeleteIs anonymous online criticism a value espoused by the St. Matthew's community? Is there one set of values espoused by the St. Matthew's community to which all members must adhere? Call the thought police!
ReplyDeleteI said his writing, not his thoughts. Crassness, vulgarity, and snark muddle logical arguments, but it seems audiences only respond to punditry these days. If more congregation members attended the general convention they may be surprised to learn that their values are in conflict with the oft progressive resolutions.
DeleteGreat post and thanks for keeping us informed on this kind of insanity. I read the deans' letter aloud to my husband and he thought it was The Bee. They sound like the pompous, ridiculous people they undoubtedly are.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that Berger-Sweeney comes out of the life sciences and wasn't primarily occupied with institutional administration until she was past 50. And, of course, you see the usual nonfeasance on the part of the trustees.
ReplyDeleteWhat we're seeing here is the (rather ill-thought-out) social ideology of the professional-managerial bourgeoisie at work. They're astonishingly hostile to the rest of us and astonishingly invested in demonstrable social fictions. I'm afraid only the actuarial tables can fix this.