Breaking News: Dean King Resigns; President Bergeron Responds; Students Speak Out
Editor’s Note:
In order to protect the privacy and livelihoods of students, faculty, and staff involved, we are refraining from naming our sources. We understand that using anonymous sources may impact the perception of our reporting, but we are verifying the validity and reliability of the information we receive through multiple perspectives.
What Happened?
On Feb. 7, 2023, Rodmon King, Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, resigned at 10 am. Throughout the day, student leaders were notified of King’s decision. At roughly 6:30 pm, flyers were distributed across campus expanding on King’s decision to leave and condemning President Katherine Bergeron’s actions in relation to a Defying Boundaries fundraising event at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida. This event was scheduled for Feb. 8 but was removed from the website late Monday, Feb. 6. While the event was canceled on Monday, calls for the event to be canceled were ongoing since its inception. Dean King and other people expressed concern over the event because of the Club’s prominent history of anti-Blackness and antisemitism.
What is the Everglades Club?
The Defy Boundaries campaign describes the Everglades Club as a “pre-eminent social club in Palm Beach since its founding in 1919. The club’s complex is believed to be where famed architect Addison Mizner first created the romantic mélange of architectural styles known around the world as ‘the Palm Beach look.’” The campaign fails to acknowledge the long history of exclusion of Black and Jewish people. For example, prominent Jewish businesswoman, Estee Lauder, attended an event at the club, which spurred the suspension of club membership for those who invited her. In addition, Sammy Davis Jr., a famous Black and Jewish musician, was barred from the club. As noted by a select group of students who King met with, Bergeron’s knowledge of this problematic history did not stop her from moving forward with the event.
Reaction from the Administration
At 7:25 pm on Feb. 7, Bergeron emailed a message announcing King’s resignation. The letter read: “I am writing to let you know that Rodmon King informed me today of his intention to resign from his role as dean of institutional equity and inclusion, effective immediately. I was saddened and shocked to receive this news.”
Bergeron failed to capitalize his title, “dean of institutional equity and inclusion,” and provided no explanation as to why King decided to resign. Unlike the countless other DIEI leaders that have left their positions in recent years, King does not have another position at another institution. This resignation was in protest of his mistreatment by the administration. Bergeron also announced, “Over the next few days, I am also holding open hours for anyone who would like to discuss this matter with me either individually or in small groups.”
A follow-up email was sent at 1:07 pm on Feb. 8, in which Bergeron first acknowledged the canceled event at the Everglades Club. She wrote, “Full participation is a core value at Conn, which is why I regret our decision to schedule an event at a location whose history and reputation suggest otherwise. We made that decision believing that our values were clear. But the decision to proceed came across differently, and we recognize now that we were wrong.” The email is signed solely by Bergeron; the body she refers to as “we” is never defined.
The College Voice reached out to Bergeron’s office for a comment. John Cramer, Vice President for Marketing and Communications, said: “President Bergeron did not tell or ask Dean King to write a statement defending the College’s initial decision about the event’s location. Consistent with her discussions with Dean King and other senior administrators, she asked him and others to offer their input on the College’s statement should we receive any inquiries about the location of the event. Again, the College ultimately canceled the event as she discussed in her campus message.”
Student Response
On Wednesday evening, participating members of the campus community stood together as a united front to protest Bergeron’s actions. Students highlighted the lack of funding for the Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion as the impetus behind Dean King’s resignation, as well as the excessive turnover within DIEI as evidence that staffers are overworked, underpaid, and unsupported. This is amid extensive fundraising efforts turning towards other campus projects. In the past four years, nearly every single DIEI staffer has left their position: Truth Hunter as Director of Race and Ethnicity Programs, Ebony Manning as Assistant Dean of Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator, Maurice Tiner as Director of Race and Ethnicity Programs, Angela Nzegwu as Director of Religious and Spirituality Programs, Erin Duran as Director of Gender and Sexuality Programs, Rachel Stewart as Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy, John McKnight as Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, and finally, Rodmon King as latest Dean of Institutional of Equity and Inclusion.
Broader DIEI Implications
King’s resignation comes following, and in conjunction with, a long list of challenges facing the Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion. The division has faced staffing shortages since any current student can remember, most notably with the recent departures of Rachel Stewart and Ebony Manning in the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy. King took on additional responsibilities outside of his role to keep providing these resources for students. One of Bergeron’s first initiatives was to divide the role of Dean of the College into three roles: Dean of the College, Dean of Students, and Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion. However, upon Manning’s departure, King stepped in to take over Manning’s responsibilities in addition to his job description, demonstrating that this division has not actually divided responsibilities equally.
This has been an ongoing struggle for this division as it has been constantly experiencing staff turnover with only four of the eleven staff members starting at the College prior to the Fall of 2019 (the division’s webpage does not accurately reflect turnover in the last year). Students noted that this may be because certain positions in the division are not salaried, with one employee making $26/hour.
The Strategic Plan, “Building on Strength,” published in Fall 2016, includes goals for the Center of Critical WRace and Ethnicity (CCSRE) and, as Bergeron wrote in her email, “full participation,” defined as the intersection between student experience, sustainable college, and academic distinction. DIEI is not included in this plan because it did not exist at the time of its publication. However, the issue of Equity and Inclusion is included in a plan created in 2019.
What’s the larger issue?
When speaking with the select students who met with King in the days prior to his resignation, The College Voice has learned that Bergeron’s actions in regard to the Everglades Club event, are not the sole reason for King’s departure. Bergeron has been accused of creating a distrustful working environment within the Senior Cabinet that belittled expert opinion and fostered a climate of fear.
Bergeron’s actions and King’s resignation are not isolated incidents but rather the latest resulting from an institution with systemic issues surrounding the support of DIEI and their leadership.
A Note from The College Voice Editorial Staff
TCV is the voice of the student body. It is our purpose to provide an outlet for students during times of uncertainty when student voices need to be heard. Ahead of our next print edition, which will come out in the next two weeks, we are accepting submissions on the topic. Additionally, to work in a more timely manner and to incorporate as many voices as possible, we are open to using our website, newsletter, and Instagram as outlets to amplify your opinions. Please reach out to our email with ideas or submissions or reach out to our editors directly and we will do everything in our power to spread your messages and hold the administration accountable.
Correction as of Feb. 9: This article notes that Bergeron was incorrect in her capitalization of “dean of institutional equity and inclusion.” However, the AP Style Guide writes “lowercase and spell out title when they are not used with individual’s names.”
Correction as of Feb. 16: A previous version of this article reported that President Bergeron was in Florida on Monday, Feb. 6. The College Voice has since learned that Bergeron was not in Florida at the time.
As an alum who was present for the ’86 takeover of Fanning Hall, I have been against the Florida trip since it was first announced. Not only was the choice ofvenue inappropriate, but the entire trip was a slap in the face. The Governor and Legislature of Florida have consistently promoted an agenda of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia, all issues that Conn has strived to fight for at least the past 35-years. And then, Pres Bergeron using, in her statement to thebschool on Feb 8, the pronoun “we” and not “I” is a clear violation of our Honor Code’s goal of taking personal responsibility for ourselves.
Sounds like you are exactly the sort of student who never should have been admitted.
[…] Boundaries” capital campaign, has since been canceled due to student and faculty backlash, according to The College Voice, Connecticut College’s student […]
[…] বিক্ষোভের কারণে বাতিল করা হয়েছে। অনুসারে কলেজ ভয়েসকানেকটিকাট কলেজের ছাত্র […]
I don’t understand the controversy here, and I say this as a jewish man: virtually EVERY old private club was racist and anti-semetic in its membership practices. Virtually none of the them are now, and virtually every private college holds events at these clubs all the time. Conn College’s Boston and New York holiday parties were at the Algonquin Club and Knickerbocker Club respectively, neither of which were inclusive for most of their history. The fact that this particular episode sparked someone to resign and there to be protests seems like fabricated outrage by students and faculty who get social currency for finding and responding to injustice. Talk about lacking perspective.
Your comment intentionally flattens the discussion to a point where it is barely worth having. The Everglades’ has a far more recent history of anti-semitism than other examples you could cite like Harvard’s quota system which was abolished in the 1930’s. Regardless, I think the reason to be disappointed in the administration in this particular context is precisely because it seems like there was an effort to stop the college from pursuing this event at this venue that was intentionally disregarded. That Bergeron would eventually backtrack and cancel the event reflects poorly on her judgement in my opinion. I found both her’s and the BOT’s letters to be milquetoast responses that did not engender confidence in what is to come next.
Lastly, that you would react to this situation as ‘fabricated outrage’ suggests to me that you are perhaps coming to this discussion with some priors that are antithetical to the aims of those pushing for reform on campus.
I do agree regarding past practices were regular occurrences at the time..but
These protests are part of a bigger picture of ongoing bullying, distrust and a toxic work environment, led by the this president, along with not accepting any responsibility, along with many other issues. When staff and student body have no confidence in their leader, things like this happen.
Unfortunately the only way for anyone to listen is this way!
[…] the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla. — and the criticism that followed from students was first reported by The College Voice, the campus newspaper. The club has a history of excluding Black and Jewish […]
[…] the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla. — and the criticism that followed from students was first reported by The College Voice, the campus newspaper. The club has a history of excluding Black and Jewish […]
[…] the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla. — and the criticism that followed from students was first reported by The College Voice, the campus newspaper. The club has a history of excluding Black and Jewish […]
[…] en Palm Seashore, Fla.— y las críticas que siguieron de parte de los estudiantes fue primero reportado por La voz de la universidad, el periódico del campus. El membership tiene un historial de […]
[…] the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla. — and the criticism that followed from students was first reported by The College Voice, the campus newspaper. The club has a history of excluding Black and Jewish […]
[…] Bergeron was reportedly responsible for sticking with the venue even after its history came to light. A “select group of students,” which met with the college president, alleged that she was aware of the club’s reputation and still moved ahead with the event planning, according to The College Voice. […]
President Bergeron was going to a fundraiser held at a place that—many, many decades ago—openly discriminated against black and Jewish people. The money that she collected could have been used to provide financial aid to low and middle class Conn Coll students, thereby increasing economic and racial diversity at the college.
In other words, she was literally trying to take money from rich people with a history of discrimination and reuse that money to help low income people and people of color. For that, she is now called out for “blatant racism”—to use the words of one of the protesters.
But isn’t taking money from historically privileged places and using it to help disadvantaged people actually the opposite of racism? Isn’t that what the modern day anti-racist movement should actually be about?
This is cancel culture at it’s worst. The protesters hearts are in the right place, but they are misguided. By creating unnecessary obstacles to fundraising, there actions are effectively hurting people of color. If they want to fight for social justice, there are much better activities they could be engaged in.
I find it hard to believe that this comment is not being made in bad faith. If you actually believe this, and are an alum, it reflects incredibly poorly on the college as an institution.
Instead of attacking my identity, try telling me where I’m wrong.
How could I attack your identity if I have no idea who you are? You aren’t making much sense here.
If you say that me being an alum reflects poorly on the institution, then that an attack on my identity. In other words, it’s ad hominem attack. Your argument is directed against a person rather than the position that the person is maintaining.
And notice how you still haven’t told me how I’m wrong.
[…] The diversity scandal came to a head after the school planned a Feb. 8 fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which students and the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King accused of having a racist and antisemitic past. The club reportedly had a pattern of excluding Black and Jewish people as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of student newspaper The College Voice. […]
[…] The diversity scandal came to a head after the school planned a Feb. 8 fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which students and the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King accused of having a racist and antisemitic past. The club reportedly had a pattern of excluding Black and Jewish people as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of student newspaper The College Voice. […]
[…] The diversity scandal broke out after the school planned on February 8th. A fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where the student and former dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King allegedly had a racist and anti-Semitic past. The club reportedly had a form of exclusion of blacks and Jews as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of a student newspaper. college voice. […]
[…] The diversity scandal came to a head after the school planned a Feb. 8 fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which students and the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King accused of having a racist and antisemitic past. The club reportedly had a pattern of excluding Black and Jewish people as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of student newspaper The College Voice. […]
[…] The diversity scandal came to a head after the school planned a Feb. 8 fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which students and the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King accused of having a racist and antisemitic past. The club reportedly had a pattern of excluding Black and Jewish people as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of student newspaper The College Voice. […]
[…] The diversity scandal came to a head after the school planned a Feb. 8 fundraising trip to the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which students and the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King accused of having a racist and antisemitic past. The club reportedly had a pattern of excluding Black and Jewish people as members when it opened in 1919, according to the editorial board of student newspaper The College Voice. […]
“ Unlike the countless other DIEI leaders that have left their positions in recent years, King does not have another position at another institution. This resignation was in protest of his mistreatment by the administration.”. Sorry, have to call BS on this one. You don’t go from unemployed to appointment at UMass Amherst in 2 weeks. That job was lined up and in the wings and probably was interviewing long before the February 8th. Sounds pretty shady.