Education leaders consider: When should we speak up about divisive issues?
On Aug. 14, Brian Rosenberg joined in a chorus of college presidents across the United States denouncing the racially charged events in Charlottesville, Va.
Dr. Rosenberg, head of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., took his denouncement a step further than most, however, condemning both the gathering of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville and the “disgracefully inadequate response to that display of hatred and bigotry from the White House” that followed.
Rosenberg describes his decision as influenced by professional, rather than personal, ethics: Both the protests and the subsequent White House response “had a really jarring impact on people in our community, people on our campus, and people in our alumni community,” he says in a phone interview.
But the contrast between Rosenberg's statement and those of other
A question of safety Moral imperative vs. overreactionDrawing the line on campusHow to engage?
