Perhaps nothing better foretold what was ahead for American college campuses like the November 2015 protests at the University of Missouri. The prolonged protests featured professor Melissa Click calling for “some muscle” to evict a student journalist from a public space, giving us a pretty good glimpse of how the left is again embracing violence and intimidation over debate.
Students involved in the protest undoubtedly felt great about what they were doing. It’s unlikely any of them considered the impact their antics would have on the school itself:
Center, Responsibility and Discovery residence halls will be “taken offline” next year due to low freshman enrollment, Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said in an email obtained by The Maneater.
Minor said in the email that the department still anticipates employing most or all staff members hired.
“Historically every year between now and August, various situations occur that result in position openings, e.g. normal attrition and voluntary staff choices, as well as unplanned academic or personal challenges,” the email said. “If necessary, we will offer alternative employment opportunities at comparable compensation to the remaining staff.”
If ResLife needs more space after ROAR, the housing selection process, starts April 10, the department will bring halls back online individually.
“This is an early move to try to be as prudent as possible with the resources we have,” MU spokeswoman Liz McCune said.
If demand does not increase, that brings the total number of halls that will be offline next year to seven. The department announced in April 2016 it would be closing Respect and Excellence. In December, Residence Halls Association President Matt Bourke confirmed that the department planned to take Schurz and McDavid offline based on decreased anticipated class size.
There were 23.5 percent fewer freshman signing up for housing. In other words, Mizzou is seeing enrollment spiral down the toilet, and there is only one logical cause.
As the parent of a high school student, I watched the events in Missouri and knew I wouldn’t support my child being anywhere near such an environment. Despite taking place around the same time as the shrieking Yale student, that seemed to be an isolated event, and not representative of the administration’s competence or the student body’s makeup. Missouri, however, boasted faculty assaulting a student on video and another lashing out against journalists, and a large portion of the student body whipping up race tensions.
Teenagers and parents around the country saw the same, and decided Missouri was not a wise choice for a kid seeking a prosperous future. Who could blame them?
Hat tip: The College Fix
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