Photo courtesy of Robbie Lynch ’24
Night of 3/1: Fanning occupiers finished watching the season of Too Hot To Handle and did temporary dinosaur tattoos
9:24 a.m: Katherine Bergeron sends a letter to CC parents updating them on what is happening on campus. She references the letter she wrote to campus yesterday describing the College’s initial actions in response to student demands. Bergeron states that she respects the peaceful protest currently occurring and is taking steps to ensure safety as well as minimal disruption to classes, advising, and co-curricular activities. Bergeron also sends an email to alumni addressing the current affairs on campus.
10:30 a.m: SVE gathers to discuss today’s protest plans.
Morning: Fanning occupiers are delivered muffins.
4:15 p.m: SVE holds a meeting to talk about publicity and the creation of an SVE shared media drive. Here, students who sign up for the media team can upload photos and videos of SVE-related content, preferably with students’ faces blurred or not in frame.
Afternoon: Some Fanning occupiers watch an extended cut of the first Lord of Rings movie: The Fellowship of the Ring.
6:15 p.m: Students gather to hear testimonials. The evening opens with two members of SVE’s Adrien Prouty and Niamani David reading SVE’s official response to Bergeron’s email to the college community that was sent out yesterday.
6:35 p.m: Student testimonials begin. Many students volunteered to share their stories and experiences with Conn as minority students. Students spoke out about racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism and Title Nine cases as well as issues affecting undocumented and international students across campus sharing the lack of support available from the College. Students rallied together calling for change and more support in the DIEI office.
6:53 p.m: Into the Woods is officially canceled in an email to ticket holders.
8:31 p.m: Student testimonials end
Glad they’re spending their time well sitting around and watching TV. Sounds like a nice break from their very important classes.
Spot on!
Glad someone else wrote exactly what I’m thinking. I loved my time at Conn. it I sure am glad I’m not a student there today…and at this rate, I would t send my daughter there.
this is just pathetic
“Fanning occupiers finished watching the season of Too Hot To Handle and did temporary dinosaur tattoos”
Incredibly pathetic. Connecticut College has devolved into a competition of who can harness the most intensive victim mindset.
Yes, it really is pathetic. What’s worse is that the faculty is backing them up. The faculty just released a statement which said: “We stand united with and for our students who risk personal safety and comfort to fight for the ideals of equity and justice set forth in the college’s mission.”
Risking personal safety and comfort? By watching Netflix and doing dinosaur tattoos? Am I in the twilight zone?
faux activism
As a middle class, eighteen year old, white male freshman in 2000, I often felt uncomfortable at Connecticut College because of the extreme wealth of much of the student body. I struggled to relate to individual students and to the place as a whole. So I can imagine how a person of color, who also doesn’t come from wealth, might feel even more uncomfortable than I did.
However, the sad truth is that Connecticut College needs rich, white money in order to compete against other elite liberal arts colleges. Because of America’s history, the vast majority of money in this country is controlled by rich, white people. The less of their money the school gets, the less it will be able to give lower income students. There are not alternative places to get money.
If one goes back 50 years, every dollar in this country is connected—in one way or another—to discrimination and/or outright exploitation. Every. Single. Dollar. Thus, all fundraising would be rendered impossible if we were to abide by the misguided philosophy of these protesters. Bergeron SHOULD be taking money from wealthy, historically privileged places like country clubs and using it to pay for the education of people of color. That’s the general idea behind restorative justice.
The club country club was just a venue. There is absolutely no evidence that the club continues to discriminate. The fact that Jewish and black people continue to not be represented at the club is not evidence of discrimination. Rather, it’s evidence that Jewish and black people are not interested in joining the club. This, of course, is understandable of black and Jewish people, given the club’s history. But it’s not a reason to avoid the club altogether.
Are we so sensitive that we can’t even walk into a venue that discriminated 50 years ago? Do we now need to know the 50+ year racial history of every venue that the school uses, and whether or not they’ve acknowledged past harms? How does doing such things actually help anyone?
All country clubs are exclusive, elitist, and require approval of those who wish to join. Do you know what other institution is exclusive, elitist, and requires approval before being admittance? Connecticut College. Should we not hold fundraisers on our own campus?
And shouldn’t the school newspaper be asking such questions, instead of reflexively jumping on the protester bandwagon?
If the history of this country club had never come to light, and the fundraiser had moved forward, no one would have been harmed. No one. In contrast, the protester have permanently made it more difficult for the school to raise funds that are needed to provide financial aid, maintain the campus, and pay staff. Ultimately, this will harm low-income students most of all. The protesters’ behavior is the very definition of performative activism as opposed to real activism. And sadly, such performances are very fashionable on college campuses these days.
Rather than calling people racist, trying to get people fired, and creating obstacles to fundraising, I wish the protestors would consider the other ways they could be helping people in need. They could be working to end the War on Drugs, helping to build more affordable housing, grappling with ways to improve public schools, advocating for the funding of vocational training for the working class, helping ex-convicts get jobs, teaching financial literacy, or volunteering at local schools. Such actions are much more difficult than occupying a building and holding up a “Resign” sign, yet they would actually make a difference in the lives of people who are suffering.
(Also, can someone give give a specific example of how Bergeron “verbally abused” people? That’s a heavy claim that’s being thrown around without evidence to back it up.)
It’s very hard to take the SVE demands seriously when their “spark” issue (the fundraiser) is so lacking in logic. They’re demanding more money spent on specific programs while at the same time rejecting fundraisers (“racist money”) without good reason. The protesters have now likely now made it permanently more difficult for the school to raise future funds, which will hurt low- and middle-income families the most. It’s very sad, really.
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You okay, bro?
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