Oberlin College’s president today has released a statement refusing to even consider a 14-page list of demands he received 30 days ago.
It was submitted by student activists, one of the most significant shows of defiance in the past few months to a wave of intense campus activism.
With 2978 students, Oberlin was the first American college to admit females and blacks,
The list of demands at Oberlin is one of the most extreme seen at any college. It demands the firing of several school employees, creation of segregated black-only safe spaces, a school stipend for protest leaders, and the creation of a bridge program to educate released convicts at the school. The list’s authors are anonymous, but several hundred students signed a Google Doc endorsing it.
Oberlin president Marvin Krislov has responded harshly. Mr. Krislov says the tone of the demands is utterly unacceptable, even if the document raises some valid concerns. He refused to directly engage with any of the list’s demands.
“Some of the challenges outlined in the document resonate with me and many members of our community, including our trustees,” Mr. Krislov says. “However, some of the solutions it proposes are deeply troubling. I will not respond directly to any document that explicitly rejects the notion of collaborative engagement. Many of its demands contravene principles of shared governance. And it contains personal attacks on a number of faculty and staff members who are dedicated and valued members of this community.”
