MIDDLEBURY, VT May 25 (DPI) – Middlebury College meted out discipline akin to demerits for 67 students who participated in a now-infamous protest over a talk by Charles Murray back in March. No students were expelled or suspended, which was especially notable since a professor was assaulted and sustained a concussion as she accompanied the guest speaker to a car. And the announcement of disciplinary action came two months later, after the school’s classes had ended and only days before its commencement this weekend.
The New York Times proclaimed that the school had “punished” the perpetrators, but, sensing more controversy, pointedly omitted a comment section and removed the article from its index page within a few hours today. To its credit, The Times quoted Murray on the school’s action. “The sanctions are a farce,” he told The Times. “They will not deter anyone. They’re a statement to students that if you shut down a lecture, nothing will happen to you.”
The Vermont liberal arts college may think its problems are behind it, but online criticism of the school following the fracas suggests that parents and alumni are still angry at the school. Google reviews posts a handful of comments about the school – and those posted after the March 2017 incident were universally harsh:
I’m not in the least bit surprised by what happened at Middlebury post Charles Murray’s talk. I’m an alumnus, and can first hand claim that it is (on the whole–save a few notable exceptions) a bastion of political correctness and radical leftist ideology. Shame on those who attacked an innocent professor (also a close friend) and shame on those who silenced the speaker’s first amendment rights. I will no longer remain silent in the face of radical extremism, free speech must be protected. Our democracy depends on its survival. While I’m grateful for an excellent eduction, I do not look back fondly at my time at Middlebury. Hopefully the Administration will address this glaring cultural bifurcation. Disclaimer: Not all Middlebury students/faculty fall into the category of radical leftists, but the campus is most definitely and decidedly left wing. We must be comfortable in discussing uncomfortable topics. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
And these reviews, from Yelp.com, where post-3/17 reviews were equally hostile:
After the escapades regarding the riot over a speaker, I have to say an education at this school is the biggest waste of money unless you want a job as a community organizer for Safe Space, Inc. The location is lovely but the student body is narrow minded and not prepared to meet the demands of the real world. The professors have done a very poor job teaching students to be inquisitive and willing to learn from those with different views. It is especially troubling to see students bullied and unable to express opinions that are not shared by those in the school newspaper. Totally disgusted in this school.
It is absolutely appalling what happened to Charles Murray and his colleagues at this campus. The fact that this school is taking so long to punish those involved is disgusting and goes against everything colleges/universities SHOULD stand for.. protect our Freedom of Speech!!
Most significant, Middlebury faces a long-term problem of 1) alienating successful and moneyed existing alumni, and 2) cultivating a new generation of bitter anti-intellectual alums who will never donate to the school, because they will have neither the funds nor will they have the emotional inclination to donate. The college has an endowment of about $1 billion, and about 2400 students.