Some of you have been following the uproar at Oberlin (and on the Oberlin board on this site) over anti-Semitic (and just plain whackdoodle) comments by Oberlin rhetoric professor Joy Karega. Here is the statement sent to Oberlin parents yesterday afternoon:
"Statement by Clyde McGregor on behalf of Oberlin College Board of Trustees
At our quarterly Board meeting yesterday, the Trustees of Oberlin College discussed postings on social media by an Oberlin faculty member.
These postings are anti-Semitic and abhorrent. We deplore anti-Semitism and all other forms of bigotry. They have no place at Oberlin.
These grave issues must be considered expeditiously. In consultation with President Marvin Krislov, the Board has asked the administration and faculty to challenge the assertion that there is any justification for these repugnant postings and to report back to the Board.
From its founding, Oberlin College has stood for inclusion, respect, and tolerance. We still do.
Clyde S. McGregor ’74, Chair, Oberlin College Board of Trustees"
My guess is that the professor is doing this as some sort of social experiment that will lead to a major published paper…either that or she is a whack job that needs mental health treatment.
You mean experiment what would happen when black professor posts anti-Semitic lies on the Internet to see if she will continue to be employed by Oberlin? So far this experiment produced positive outcome.
I think the chair and his fellow trustees should be concerned that they had to nudge the president and administration to take this seriously. Maybe Oberlin could benefit from leaders who are a little quicker on the uptake.
How many times have we seen this pattern? A faculty member makes an offensive statement (that’s not related in any way to their area of study), the faculty and often the administration defends it based on academic free speech, and then the Board/Trustees (and state legislatures if it’s a public university) freak-out (once they get swamped by complaints from alumni and donors).
After the U-Missouri fiasco, expect trustees to get more active (and more friction between the boards/trustees and faculty, with the administration folks stuck in the middle).
lol