<p>“They can expel anyone they want to.”</p>
<p>No they can’t on just the basis of the posters. At least be big enough to admit you were wrong. Nor can they prevent her from any other normal activities as you implied as that would be retaliation. Now if she actually violated some laws as was mentioned–then they might have a leg.</p>
<p>“Only 17 students showed up for the Jewish students town hall meeting.”</p>
<p>(and I wonder whether they were all Jewish). My heart goes out to students who have experienced such confusion with this issue - I’m sure my d. would - and the lack of leadership (that I perceive) in helping students gain a more mature perspective is, for lack of a better word, sad.</p>
<p>Again, I expect it is only one student, and the number of real Nazi sympathizers (I don’t buy Julie’s argument that she simply wanted to provoke discussion one bit) tiny. I frankly don’t care much about her one way or the other (I would probably be uncomfortable rehearsing for a play with her), but I do care greatly about other students not being provided with a better moral compass. </p>
<p>(Guess, when it’s all done, and I know more, a letter to Morty will be in order - that always costs me money - I never write him without enclosing a check.)</p>
<p>Why did the school paper then report that some parents were offering to fly their children home from Williams after the incident?</p>
<p>I think that this comes so fresh after the Virginia Tech massacre that parents will be worried about students’ personal saftey. You are dealing with Neonazis. For $45,000 a year who needs this aggravation?</p>
<p>It may be that only 17 students showed up for a meeting because others are studying or doing other activities. It doesn’t mean only 17 students are concerned. Seems pretty hot on the alum board.</p>
<p>They can expel her if they are willing to say, “so sue me!”</p>
<p>The college could take the the attitude that if she wants a very public lawsuit about her responding to Holocaust Remembrance Day by papering the campus with Hitler Birthday Celebration posters she should knock herself out. If you think about it pragmatically, she loses even if she wins.</p>
<p>As for whether the Board would support the college, I refer you to this excerpt from the Wikipedia entry for Edgar Bronfman, Sr. Anyone familiar with Williams will recognize the name.</p>
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</p>
<p>No, only 17 students showed up because the college leadership didn’t make it a priority that more should. </p>
<p>For most of the rest, I imagine it is just confusion. I’m projecting - it would have been for me at that age. If no one makes a big fuss, will it just go away? Everyone’s entitled to free speech, so what’s the big deal? Well, I really didn’t like the Holocaust being shoved in my face two weeks ago. Isn’t this really a Jewish problem? The president of the college is Jewish, and he isn’t making a big fuss, so why should I think it is a big deal? It’s only one wierd student - we have lots of wierd students who believe all kinds of odd things. Isn’t my math homework more important? She really isn’t such a bad person - she just made a stupid mistake. I don’t have time for this…and on and on.</p>
<p>Where is the adult who could put an end to my own rationalizations?</p>
<p>“Where is the adult who could put an end to my own rationalizations?”</p>
<p>He’s probably earning about $500,000 a year to provide leadership and raise money for the college.</p>
<p>He’s earning more than that. </p>
<p>I’m really not sure how I would deal with this if I were Morty. I can’t imagine that the bizarre posters didn’t hit close to home for both Roseman and Shapiro. I’m also loath to believe that we are privy to all of the actions being taken by the administration. Exactly what is going on behind the scenes???</p>
<p>As this story unfurls, it is becoming increasingly bizarre. My sympathy also goes out the admissions office. Had this transpired when I was choosing between colleges, my parents would have never let me attend Williams.</p>
<p>I will reiterate that I never experienced an iota of anti-semitism at Williams. This, of course, does not mean that Williams contained no anti-semites, but they were presumably small in number.
I expect that mini had a drastically different experience during the cretaceous period, or whenever he went to college… just kidding.</p>
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<p>On any other campus (most other campuses?) she would be sentenced to mandatory sensitivity training.</p>
<p>“I expect that mini had a drastically different experience during the cretaceous period, or whenever he went to college… just kidding.”</p>
<p>I was there in the late 60s when overt anti-Semitism was quickly disappearing. Even as little as 5 years earlier, and certainly 15, it was rather different. </p>
<p>“Had this transpired when I was choosing between colleges, my parents would have never let me attend Williams.”</p>
<p>Mine neither.</p>
<p>“On any other campus (most other campuses?) she would be sentenced to mandatory sensitivity training.”</p>
<p>Not in Mass where you retain your broad free speech rights–even at a private school.</p>
<p>Sensitivity training won’t even get through to people like this.</p>
<p>Barrons:</p>
<p>OMG, I feel like a broken record. It’s NOT a free speech issue. It’s NEVER been a free speech issue. NOBODY in power at Williams College has suggested punishing Julia Cordray for her speech.</p>
<p>The ISSUE is how a campus responds to grotesquely anti-semitic bigotry on the part of a student such as Julia Cordray.</p>
<p>For example, if you found out your kid was spewing neo-Nazi anti-semitism, wouldn’t you be interested in finding some way to reach out to the kid? Or, would you prefer that the college just ignore it?</p>
<p>If your kid were the subject of racial, ethnic, or religious attacks at college, wouldn’t you be interested in that college exploring ways of changing the campus culture to discourage racism and bigotry?</p>
<p>The narrow legalistic “free speech” issue is a total red herring that totally ignores the larger issues or teaching opportunities that mini refers to: how does a COMMUNITY appropriately respond to bigotry and hatred?</p>
<p>The judicial procedure for removing a student from campus is an almost insignficant slice of a larger COMMUNITY response. The relationship between students and administrators at an effective educational institution is not adversarial in nature.</p>
<p>That is so true and that is why I don’t think that the big dog there is earning his money.</p>
<p>“she is ‘off the charts’ brilliant”</p>
<p>Her puffy “statement of intent” was not writing that I would consider to be up to Williams standards.</p>
<p>The Unabomber was brilliant. </p>
<p>Waiting for at least a glimmer of hope that the administration reassures new and returning students, faculty and staff, and deals with the issues. </p>
<p>If there was a neonazi threat on a campus, would you be wary of sending your child, if s/he is a minority?</p>
<p>Maybe Williams students just accept this kind of thing, and that is the way it is there. At many other schools, there would be more discussion and concern.</p>
<p>Actually this is what one poster on the Williams board said in response to another poster calling for expelling the neonazi lady;</p>
<p>“Oh, come on MikeyD! Cool it, and stop misrepresenting Williams to the CC community”</p>
<p>I think the apathy is what speaks volumes. </p>
<p>So is this a dead issue there? Maybe Morty got away with this. Very disappointing, but I guess he represents Williams.</p>
<p>I would not consider one neonazi any more significant than one person with any other extreme politcal viewpoint such as one old school Maoist or one LaRouchie or one radical Black Muslim… There probably is an example of each running around your campus right now. They are so far out there not to be a serious threat to anyone.</p>
<p>And No Idad, nobody at Williams suggested any punishment because unlike you, they new it was against the law. They can teach all they want but she need not attend any of the sessions and if the “teaching” results in some sort of physical retaliation egged on by some professor or other official–then Williams will have a much bigger problem.</p>
<p>I went to school with lots of crazy radicals and there was serious violence and death but nobody was expelled just for printing or saying radical things.</p>
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<p>Where do you come up with this stuff? The only threat of physical violence has come from Julia Cordray’s 33 year old boyfriend…directed against a specific Jewish student.</p>
<p>I’m with Mini on this. </p>
<p>Barron, lookit, my dad was chair of his state’s ACLU and at one point even as a Jew he had to defend a Nazi’s right to hold a silent march through a Maryland town, because he understood – thoroughly – the First Amendment rights of the client he so detested. And some years before that, my dad as a WWII soldier helped translate the Yiddish of extermination camp survivors for the British army when they walked in to Bergen-Belson.</p>
<p>None of this is easy, but I hate to hear facile explanations of “free speech” when a hate crime might have been committed here. If not a hate crime, then certainly not conduct becoming of a university where many peoples coexist.</p>
<p>All I’d want would be for my student (if s/he were at Williams) to hear, loud and clear, a PARENTAL VOICE (coming in the form of the administration’s position). It should roar: “THIS WAS WRONG.”</p>
<p>At Oberlin in the late ‘60’s the administration felt some students overstepped by blocking the paths of military recruiters (Vietnam era) on campus, and held public discussions about all the issues. Students thought they were expressing free speech but the administration wanted to express the importance of other students’ rights to go talk to the military recruiters. </p>
<p>RIght or wrong, what I remembered in my heart was that the college administration HAD A VOICE and chose to speak to students about matters of conscience.</p>
<p>That’s why I’m with Mini, regardless of what kind of sticky-tape was used on which doors, agree or disaGREE, I’d want my kid to hear the administration’s VOICE. Their silence is truly deafening. I hope it changes.</p>
<p>Great post, paying3.</p>
<p>“nobody at Williams suggested any punishment because unlike you, they new it was against the law.”</p>
<p>What law is that?</p>
<p>The law I know about says that private schools like Williams can kick students out on their ears for practically any behavior that the school views as incompatible with its mission. Williams is CHOOSING not to punish this student; it is legally free to make a different choice if it wishes.</p>