I think the key here is the question of whether any of these encampments develop into creating what could reasonably be called, “hostile environments” for Jewish students. It’s far from being a foregone conclusion; NESCAC campuses are very different from Ivy campuses; they are much more spacious (most of them remained open during COVID largely because so many activities could be moved outdoors); it will be hard to accuse demonstrators of blocking access to classrooms. And the kids tend to know each other from attending so many of the same classes together. We’ll see:
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Also…it’s the end of the semester. It will end naturally. The best thing to do (absent violence or legitimately threatening, and thus unprotected, speech) is nothing. That so few university presidents understand this is baffling to me (a Jewish parent of an incoming Wes student).
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I know what you mean - also a fellow Jewish parent of an incoming NESCAC kid - but as a professor at a (non-NESCAC) SLAC, I’m well-aware of how much pressure presidents get from alums, trustees, students, parents, ANYONE to do something, say something. It’s a terrible job and a no-win situation.
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Agreed—it’s a tough job! And my position (not faculty) gives me decent visibility into the pressures university presidents face. But managing parents, donors, trustees, and students is the job, and university presidents, especially at NESCAC-caliber schools, are paid very handsomely to do it well. When they make the situation exponentially worse, as Columbia’s president has, my sympathy is not with the president; it’s with the students, faculty, and staff.
Roth strikes me as a cannier operator, so I’m hopeful that he’ll manage the response to Wes’s encampments with more aplomb (and the goal of minimal drama).
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I’m pretty sure this “article” has been in his back pocket for weeks:
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Apparently this email went out from Roth to the Wes community this morning:
Dear friends,
This morning you can find pro-Palestinian protesters camped out behind North College. The students there know that they are in violation of university rules and seem willing to accept the consequences. The protest has been non-violent and has not disrupted normal campus operations. As long as it continues in this way, the University will not attempt to clear the encampment. The University will not tolerate intimidation or harassment of students, staff, or faculty. Protesters assure us that they have no intention of engaging in these kinds of actions. We will continue to monitor the situation to keep everyone safe and will send updates as necessary.
There will be many on campus who cheer on the protesters, and many who are offended or even frightened by their rallies and messages. But as long as we all reject violence, we have opportunities to listen and to learn from one another. This may not happen during the chanting and drumming, but it can happen during some of the planned discussion sessions and deep conversations that will take place throughout the week.
This is a challenging time in world affairs and in the lives of many-including college students-concerned about their own relation to the brutal war in the Middle East.
May we at Wesleyan find ways to learn from this difficult moment-determining what it is we can do to serve the goal of a sustainable peace-even as we finish out this academic year.
With hope,
Michael S. Roth
President
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There was an article/interview with Maud Mandel on WAMC re: free expression and Gaza campus protests. Kudos to Mandel on her deft handling of campus speech issues both at Brown and Williams, NESCAC has a role to play in finding a middle ground based upon the discussion and dialogue that can occur in the less contentious setting of New England campuses. They can avoid cancelling classes or moving to virtual classes and serve as a model for other institutions. The secret sauce of NESCAC is smaller community based learning where connections across difference are more productive. Williams, Bowdoin and others can demonstrate how dialogue with mutual respect for differences can yield learning, appreciation and perspective across the various divides on campus.
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Well said, Roth.
Imagine if Wesleyan were to pull off being a model for how to do this the right way. What would happen to their rep?
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They’d lose him to Penn, or harvard.
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Roth won’t leave Wes until he retires.
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Agreed, Roth seems well suited for Wes, but what about Mandel, has raised significant funds for Williams, last LAC president to ascend larger univ appointments was Wellesley to Duke, but seems Mandel having been at Brown would not retrace foot steps?
Fun Fact: Brown’s Wriston Quadrangle is named after a Wesleyan alum.
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This comment on Wesleyan appeared on CC in 2017:
This characteristic seems to have endured.
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As a current parent, I would say that I’m not blown away by Mandel. She might be a great fundraiser, but I suspect that she’s more of an introvert and hasn’t done a great job reaching out to parents whether it was during Covid, post-Oct 7, after tragic student suicides, etc. She has her once-a-year town hall for families and alumni together, when I think parents and current families should get at least one separate forum per year. For those of us whose students started in the Fall of 2020 and 2021 when there were no parent/President events on move-in day or parents weekend, she has done little to nothing to reach out to us. A friend with an Amherst 2020 student seemed to get much more communication and interaction with Biddy Martin.
My Williams student doesn’t care, and she’s certainly reaping the benefits of Maud’s (and her predecessors’) successful fundraising. That said, I find that Williams’s communications with families overall could use some work.
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All interesting to hear, but wonder if the parental community should not be the priority?
That’s not what I expect and I understand where her priorities should lie. I don’t think my comment implied that parents should be her top priority. Communication with families could be improved. Williams is a fine institution, and I’ve made many positive posts about the college. Selectivity and overall excellence do not preclude occasional criticism.
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Understood and agreed, feedback from concerned constituents is very helpful.
It seemed to me that Amherst people almost universally liked and supported Biddy Martin. I only ever heard glowing reviews. Any Amherst people here care to weigh in?
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What about the new Amherst President?
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Heard it from a trusted source that Williams has an encampment.