Deplorable and Bizzare Protest at Evergreen State College

[Ohiodad51]

^ or, you know, actually shoot people at a baseball practice. Or put a professor in the hospital, etc.

[OHMomof2]

^ Same idea. Hysterical news coverage is not limited to one “side” or the other.

In this particular case it seems the pizza analogy is more apt than the baseball one based on the threat’s use of the word “commie”.

[fragbot]

I wonder how many people at Evergreen State are genuinely angry at Prof. Weinstein? Is this a case where only 5% of the student population and staff are genuinely upset at the guy?

While I don’t have a barometer for the student population, there was a letter published calling for his punishment (whatever that means) that had about ~50 faculty signatories which ballparks to ~1/4 of the faculty. Some of the signers–Naima Lowe and Peter Bohmer–are real treats.

We have a saying at work, “if you’re stupid, please shut up while adults are talking.” Prior to this fiasco, I didn’t really know much about Evergreen beyond its general reputation but familiarity is definitely breeding contempt. All this said, I’m ambivalent about defending Weinstein as it took me awhile to place him as the guy who screwed ZBT when I was at Penn and I always enjoyed their company.

For my amusement, I’ve been periodically reading the Evergreen sub-reddit. Beyond the general ■■■■■■ (I think; Poe’s law is strong there so it’s hard to be sure.), someone has brilliantly parodied the hysterics using their own words. While I’m sure the videographer has cherry-picked examples, some of the footage is stupidly sad, paranoid and loony. While I normally don’t buy into the “professors are indoctrinating their students” canard, I think this might be a place where hyperbole becomes reality as some of the most histrionic students are the stereotypical useful idiots.

[Gator88NE]

And here I thought,…“Hey, it’s summer! Nothing much could be happening at ESC…”

Weinstein files $3.8M claim against Evergreen State

According to documents obtained by Campus Reform, Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, have filed a standard Tort Claim form against Evergreen State for a sum of $3,850,000.

The legal document was signed by the couple’s attorney and received by Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services Office of Risk Management on July 5.
…
In an email to Campus Reform, Weinstein’s attorney underscored that the $3.8 million is a total claimed on behalf of both professors collectively “for the hostile work environment that has been fostered at the college over the past year or so.”

He also noted that there is “no current litigation” at this point, since a tort claim must be filed “at least 60 days prior to initiating legal action” in the state of Washington.
…
*The factual narrative submitted alongside the tort claim argues that Evergreen State “has permitted, cultivated, and perpetuated a racially hostile and retaliatory work environment,” asserting that “Through a series of decisions made at the highest levels, including to officially support a day of racial segregation, the College has refused to protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence.”

Weinstein’s attorney also maintains that the college has “failed to set and enforce necessary boundaries in the workplace on campus, selectively has chosen not to enforce its student Code of Conduct, and sent the unmistakable message that the school will tolerate (and even endorse) egregious violations (and even crimes) purportedly to advance racial social goals, diminishing the collegiate experience for all, and fostering a racially hostile work and retaliatory environment for faculty and staff.”*

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9485

Yep, now this sorry story will stay around for years…

[JenJenJenJen]

It fits the bill for “hostile work environment,” if what I’ve read here is true. He has a case.

[Gator88NE]

Sinces all the ruckus started in late April and ran thru May, would it have any impact on 2017-2018 enrollment?

Why, yes, yes it would… 8-|

Evergreen State College faces $2.1M budget shortfall, cites enrollment drop, issues layoff notices
…
In an Aug. 28 memo to the campus community titled “Enrollment and Budget Update,” officials report that fall 2017-18 registration is down about 5 percent, from 3,922 students to 3,713. But the problem is nearly all of the students they lost are nonresidents, who traditionally pay a much higher tuition to attend, officials explained in the memo…

https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/36145/

[OHMomof2]

Who knows why though. Possibly violent threats against students serious enough to shut down the campus dampened enthusiasm.

[Zinhead]

Evergreen State is back in the news with student stanctions and a settlement with Weinstein:

http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article176254816.html

This summer, Weinstein and his wife Heather Heying, who also was on Evergreen’s faculty, filed a tort claim — a prerequisite to a lawsuit against a state agency — stating that the college failed to “protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence.” Two weeks ago, they received a $450,000 settlement and $50,000 in legal fees from the college. In exchange, they left their jobs and the college, and the college didn’t admit liability.

[HarvestMoon1]

That settlement is “peanuts” for what those two professors were subjected to by Evergreen students and some faculty members.