“The Progressive Rejection of the Principles of the Declaration” and “The Progressive Assault on the Constitution” suggest Progressives, i.e., the Left, don’t follow the Constitution.
Hm… for argument sake, let’s accept this as true (even though it is an overstatement). Kids (and parents) and choose to be around - at a school like UCB where the admin in allows rioters to wreck the place and for students should down others with different ideas or around kids who at least comport themselves well and can debate civilly about any subject.
There are many students who would choose Hillsdale for a lot safer, happier and less angst student body who can handle ideas different than their own without going into a hissy fit. Hillsdale students seem more adult than UCB and many other schools.
I wonder if the shrieking girl at Yale would have been happier at Hillsdale. Wasn’t she the one chastising the dean for not creating a home on campus and for not creating a safe space? Looks like she was calling for a home on campus where a house mom would fit right in.
And if the shrieking girl’s behavior is considered intellectual, adult behavior by some that tells us a lot right there about some people’s definitions of the word adult.
Interesting point @awcntdb, because the email from Erika Christakis about Halloween costumes that set off the protesters was actually suggesting that the administration stop over controlling the students and let them work out the issue themselves. The young woman at Yale (I hate the term Yale shrieking girl as much as I hate the term special snowflakes) was essentially calling for a “house mom” – just one aligned with the student’s values.
I think it was more specific than that - it was a house mom aligned to particular student’s values, i.e., the loudest, most outraged students’ values.
Loudest does not mean most popular among all pockets of people, which was just learned the hard way by many in this country. The very fact that the admin put out such a letter kind of tells you it knew that there were many students who did not align with those values because if there were there would be no need to issue the letter.
Basically, the admin was trying to placate one group of students’ values to the exclusion of other students’ values. Yale is free to do that as it is a private school, but that letter is an expression of Yale’s admin values, same as Hillsdale’ admin choosing a viewpoint for its classes.
However, the one thing I learned from everyone who went to Hillsdale is that debate is encouraged, and free speech is encouraged. There is no shouting down of ideas one does not agree with, but there is vigorous debate about the various viewpoints.
The difference at too many schools is if you are expressing a viewpoint opposite other students they try to shut you down by decrying need for safe space and hurt feelings etc. At Hillsdale, you are fee to step out of the debate and go about your own business, but you are not free to shut people down. I ask, which one is truly an adult environment? Kind of obvious Hillsdale wins that hands down.
the immature and troubling behavior of shrieking girl at yale has nothing to do with hillsdale. her behavior was an embarrassment to herself and possibly to yale, but not analogous to hillsdale.
^^ We are not discussing her behavior. The analogy we are discussing is she was calling for the dean to essentially be a house mom and create a home at Yale and to treat the students like kids, i.e., control their behavior in what costumes they could wear. The analogy is apt even if she were well-behaved and asking for the same thing.
@sumba9 -
It is pretty well known that numerous progressive colleges like Vasser and Oberlin have shredded the Constitution in the past:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PZAzLTQlX8
Watch the whole video. It is good we have schools like Hillsdale where the Constitution can be studied in a safe place.
I think you missed my point, @zobroward. Some posters on this thread are suggesting that the “house mom” and rules at Hillsdale constitute treating students like children, not adults. I was picking up on @awcntdb’s comment to point out that students on the left exhibit the same desire for the imposition of rules and authority from the administration; the rules and values they want supported are just different.
awcntb
I think I agree with you in that shrieking girl’s vile behavior would not be accepted by and or supported by the students or faculty at hillsdale. rigorous debate…yes…but, at hillsdale that tact would be counter to the decorum of the school.
Corinthian
the bottom line for me is if hillsdale had say 3000-5000 students was in a small city like allentown or norfolk (random examples) it would be a place I would attend. it is a special and unique college. it is just to small and rural for me. I do not want a school in a big city or that is rural and also not to big and not to small as far as student body goes. those two issues would exclude hillsdale for me. house mom no house mom, I personally could care less.
Is there any reason a student from another country, for example, would want to study there or is it that exclusively focused on American documents?
I see they have a chemistry major, I’m puzzled as to why I would want to spend that much time worrying about the constitution as a chemistry major.
(And I’m saying that as one who went to a LAC that required a lot of out of major classes!)
Interesting you use the “worrying” in place of “learning” about the Constitution and efforts to change its meaning. So, a student from another country, in your view, might not be interested in what made America the beacon that it is? I do not think that would be the case, especially if the student comes from country where individual rights are not respected and that student is interested in government.
However, your puzzlement deserves a similar question, “Why do so many other schools want students to spend time worrying about identity this and identity that, gender this and gender that, and victimhood this and victimhood that instead of, say, a chemistry major?”
The answer is each school has an agenda and a set of values it promotes from its application process through graduation. And for people to act like Hillsdale is somehow out of the ordinary in having a set of values its promotes - that is laughable.
The bottom-line is people are not upset that Hillsdale has a set of values its promotes; they are just upset Hillsdale does not promote their values, and thus they act hateful toward it. That says more about the people attacking Hillsdale than Hillsdale itself.
I also bet the people who attack Hillsdale label themselves as tolerant. Gotta love the irony. But, people have caught on and are now ignoring these folks who speak one way, tolerant this and tolerant that, then act the reverse. In my own little world, I see more and more pushback against this incongruent speech and behavior each day now.
@awcntdb I think the problem is you are seeing pushback for the first time from people who are tired of the intolerance by the so called originalists who want to control women and religious freedom by anyone who is not an evangelical. I get the newsletter from Hillsdale and it is always a bunch of republican talking points
Never thought I’d hear you, of all people, speak fondly about “safe spaces.” 
If this is the case, then no explication or interpretation is even possible and any class on the Constitution should consist of nothing more than handing out the document and perhaps asking students to memorize/regurgitate it.
The admin didn’t do what you say it did. It acted to quell riots and impose order and was in communication with the campus police and the city police weeks before the actual event. Don’t misrepresent the facts.
@zinhead - “Project Veritas” is [James O’Keefe](James O'Keefe - Wikipedia), who has been convicted of fraud and illegal activities, and who was [recently caught trying to bribe protesters](James O'Keefe caught trying to bribe protesters to riot at Trump inauguration | Boing Boing).
He’s the polar opposite of a credible source.
Going back to an earlier point, if you want to be treated completely like an adult, get off campus housing not owned by the university. Dorms have RAs who have many house mom type functions: solving minor disputes between roommates, handling underage drinking, or reporting people for pot use.