Harvard, Yale students and alumni

Those that I have come across I have not been impressed by. The alumni that were twice my age were, at best, moderate yet squishy socially liberal hippies while the Yalies were, well, I'll just say Yale has great branding and brilliance is a faux attribute that they tout. So far the societal leaders Yale has produced or are in-training have no wings to fly, no arrow that points true north, and are rudderless being floating to fake Utopias.

It's All Good: We Spit On You

William Buckley Jr. Program, a Yale student organization dedicated to conservative ideals, invited the President of FIRE (a college free speech advocacy group) to talk at the university. As with most talks done by conservative speakers, there's at least one audience member whose ears and tape recorder are peeled to catch any controversial statement. The audience member sort of succeeded this time.

“Looking at the reaction to [Silliman College Associate Master] Erika Christakis’ email, you would have thought someone wiped out an entire Indian village,” Lukianoff said, according to Gian-Paul Bergeron ’17, who was present at the event and posted the quotation online just after 4 p.m. According to seven other attendees interviewed, the remark was followed by laughter in the crowd, although students present gave different accounts of how many audience members laughed. Lukianoff is president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonprofit organization committed to defending individual rights on American college campuses. In addition to speaking at the Buckley conference, Lukianoff was also a guest at a Silliman College Master’s Tea Thursday evening about the importance of free speech on college campuses. He is the author of “Coddling of the American Mind,” an article in The Atlantic that Erika Christakis tweeted last week in response to criticism of her Oct. 30 email defending students’ rights to wear costumes that might be deemed culturally appropriative.

Once this "controversial" statement went viral students at Yale did as they did when they were offended by Yale professor Nicholas Christakis' email concerning the free speech - or non censorship - of objectionable Halloween costumes, and the (probably false) allegations towards SAE fraternity of racism: They acted like passionate idiots young adults who proved once again they have no clue about the world are willing to stand up against social injustice.

Before the comment was made, Edward Columbia ’18 — a white male who did not register for the event — walked into the room and began putting up signs along the front of the room  which read “Stand with your sisters of color. Now, here. Always, everywhere,” according to Columbia and Bergeron. They both said a security guard asked Columbia to leave because he was not registered and because he was putting up posters, but he refused to do so. Shortly after, Lukianoff made the comment about the Indian village, and Columbia shouted at Lukianoff and asked him why he thought it was funny, according to Columbia.

Mr. Columbia, feeling very self-righteous, enters a conference to protest when he isn't even registered. Because social justice and then shouts (it seems like if you're offended shouting without waiting your turn is the default choice) at the speaker because he's offended.

(Edward Columbia, a freshmen, according to his Yale athletic bio took a gap year to study theater before coming to the university. He has something in common with Jonathan Butler and Jerelyn Luther: Privilege).

While Columbia resisted, the guard dragged him outside of the room, where he was pinned down and handcuffed before being taken to a squad car, Columbia said. Both Bergeron and Columbia said the officer used an appropriate amount of force. Columbia was given a citation, which he called “a mere slap on the wrist,” and said he will appear in court, though he declined to specify when this will happen.

“I couldn’t let the joke go. It was too f—ed up,” Columbia said. “All of the officers treated me well, and I feel bad for putting a security officer who was just doing his job in a position where he had to drag me out. But I also wonder whether I would have been released so quickly … if I weren’t a white male.”

Some Buckley fellows present at the event gave a slightly different account. They said they were not bothered when Columbia put up signs and only asked him to leave when he interrupted and shouted at the speaker. The signs were taken down after Columbia’s removal.

How is "“Looking at the reaction to [Silliman College Associate Master] Erika Christakis’ email, you would have thought someone wiped out an entire Indian village," 'fucked up'? It's not. Maybe a but insensitive but not 'fucked up.' What's fucked up is Columbia's reaction and all those that feel the same way - they think any comment about race when it's not talked about in the context of injustice is "offensive" and 'fucked up.'

 Lukianoff;s Indian village comment quickly found its way to 'Overheard At Yale' Facebook page (a gossip/'did-you-hear-what-so-and-so-said?' interest) and was read by a Yale Native American student, which inspired her and several students of color to gather outside the conference room and protest.

The situation escalated when Young [Buckley Program President] and another attendee left the room where the conference was taking place to offer food to the protestors in the hallway. Students demanded that a representative from the protesters be allowed to join the conference and voice their views. But one attendee engaged with the protesters, stating that unregistered students were not allowed into the room and adding that speakers within the conference were entitled to their views as well. The standoff quickly became confrontational, with speakers on both sides raising their voices. Young said he did not stay to address the protesters because he was busy organizing the event. He stressed that the protesters were not allowed into the event because they had not registered.

“I will share the University’s policy on free speech,” Dean of Student Engagement Burgwell Howard, who arrived near the end of the conference, told the crowd. “You have a right to free expression, and so do the people inside. As long as there’s a clear path [to allow attendees to leave the conference] you can hold up your signs.”

Howard reminded the student protesters that any attempt at blocking the attendees’ departure would risk arrest, which the students acknowledged.

Around 5:45 p.m., as attendees began to leave the conference, students outside chanted the phrase “Genocide is not a joke” and held up written signs of the same words. Taking Howard’s reminder into account, protesters formed a clear path through which attendants could leave. A large group of students eventually gathered outside of the building on High Street. According to Buckley fellows present during the conference, several attendees were spat on as they left. One Buckley fellow said he was spat on and called a racist. Another, who is a minority himself, said he has been labeled a “traitor” by several fellow minority students. Both asked to remain anonymous because they were afraid of attracting backlash.

Mitchell Rose Bear Don’t Walk ’16, a Native American student and one of the leaders of the protest, said she has spoken to the fellow who said he was spat on. She emphasized that spitting is “disgraceful” and not the message the protestors were looking to convey, but she confirmed that it did happen.

“The spitting happened,” she told the News Sunday night. “Our movement is founded in the idea that all people’s voices should be heard. We cannot maintain the integrity of this message whilst questioning or silencing other accounts.”

Well, if you can chant in protest I don't see how spitting in a fine alternative. It's clear that the student protesters could not block the pathway of exit and no one said they could not chant, so resulting to spitting and saying that they couldn't "maintain the integrity of this message whilst questioning or silencing other accounts" is just pure bullshit.

An emotional rally soon followed as the last attendees emerged from LC and left the conference. Bullhorn in hand, Bear Don’t Walk shared her anger with the crowd, which had grown in size, about the comment made at the Buckley event. She expressed despair that this comment came on the heels of discussions about racial issues on campus.

“About an hour ago, we were sitting at the Native American Cultural Center and we were talking. We said today was one of the only days we felt okay on this campus,” Bear Don’t Walk told the crowd. “Then we looked at our Facebook feed and we saw this message about what someone at this freedom of speech conference said. But we rallied and we gathered here to tell them that this is not okay.”

Ending on the chant “We out here, we’ve been here, we ain’t leaving, we are loved” — a phrase that was also used during Thursday’s gatherings on Cross Campus with Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway — protesters soon dispersed. Before leaving, protesters left their signs along the building’s walkway.

Buckley Fellows interviewed said the Facebook post misrepresented what occurred during the conference. Connor Wood ’19 said while there was laughter following Lukianoff’s comment, many attendees were made uncomfortable by the statement. Gabriel Ozuna ’15 added that most audience members were Yale alumni and donors who were not fully aware of the past week’s racially charged events.

“Although I think the protesters misinterpreted the ‘Overheard at Yale’ post, I think the protest is a good sign of healthy debate and free speech at Yale,” Woods said.

They were uncomfortable about it because they were sure that another Yale bitch fest was going to happen, not because it was a racist joke. And that bitch fest happened.

Also, what's with every controversial statement about race, sex and sexuality, when things have calmed a bit after the initial anger, needing to have a "healthy debate" or "open dialogue" as the silver lining? There's nothing to really debate about. Lukianoff's statement was a joke. I'm not even white and I immediately caught it. The man was mocking the anger over Christakis' email to an actual horrid event: The genocide of a group of people. He did this because you would think a few Yale students were hanged in one of Yale's courtyards from the reaction. You can debate that the joke was ill-advised but this shit storm was the true thing that was uncalled for.

#YaleFail 

My eye on Yale.

I've decided a couple of months ago that an MBA might actually help my career & personal goals. The recent student bitch fest is making me hesitant to even apply to Yale SOM.

I'm starting to think the students at Yale aren't nearly as smart as they, their parents and the institution's administration believe to be. It just feels Yale's a poser of enlightenment and brilliance. The vibe is of regression. Honestly, I'm not even impressed with most Yale alumni I've come across - in fact, I was turned off by them and it made me question the quality of the student body not it terms if they can test well on an entrance exam or their book smarts, but their ability practice critical thinking and their maturation to surrender to humility. There's almost zero humility in what I've witnessed.

The saving grace is that Yale College and its graduate programs tend to keep to themselves, so if I ever do apply, am accepted and attend I'd mostly avoid the arrogant know-it-alls in the College for the most part due to the segregation of the programs. The flip-side is that it's an MBA, and the top MBA programs - so I heard - tend to have its own arrogant students. 

"But it's Yale!"

It is, but given some reflection and the recent pathetic chaos - So What. The Yale brand is shield against criticism and that's what I detest in the institution's dealing of its child-like tantrum among the student body.

Below is a parody done by a handful of Harvard undergraduates that poke at Yale students and what they say about their institution. It's mostly harmless stuff and plays off the (friendly) rivalry between each institution.

Given the recent events at Yale I think the video should updated to include Shrieking Girl. The great irony of this video is at the 3:59 mark. Does the man in the blue oxford shirt look familiar? That's professor Nicholas Christakis who almost became a sacrificial lamb because he dared to allow un-PC costumes to be worn on Halloween at, you guessed, Yale. He was a Harvard professor during the time of this video. 

I blame the professors and the parents.

There's something extraordinarily pathetic that is going on US university campuses nationwide. I'm speaking of the moronic tantrums that have occurred at the University of Missouri and Yale University. Each have to do with race.

At MU charges of racism - without any evidence - have angered a small group of (black) students which transitioned into 30 black athletes of the university's football team to boycott playing until the university president resigned  - which he did. Someone supposedly yelled the n-word at a group of black students on campus and drew a swastika made of feces in a bathroom. These incidents were brought to the attention of the president and he issued a statemnet for "further investigation" but that wasn't enough. Due to his "lack of action" a student staged a hunger strike and few others took notice and created the chaos that is currently happening. It doesn't help that several Missouri politicians have supported the resignation of this president. The language used to support this activism? "Healing," "family," "safe space," "inclusiveness" etc. It all sounds very communal. Of course Michael Sam made a cameo stating that "gay or straight" can fully back this type of activism.

Currently the football team has a losing season.

At Yale University, one of the most renowned and coveted institutions for higher learning, students at the residential college, Silliman College, are angered over an email of their House Master wrote, and his wife - the Associate Master - who supported, defending controversial Halloween costumes in the name of free speech and personal maturation. Her husband, who is a professor of sociology at the university, never said that he agreed with controversial costumes (e.g. black face, fake dreads) but clearly stated that the university should not control what the students wore on Halloween night; it was a form of censorship and that the university's way of combating controversial costume, though thoughtful and had the psychological well-being of the students in mind, was a poor attempt. He opted for the freedom to wear costumes that might make people offended, and with this offense would strike up a conversation between the wearer and the offended - face to face. It's confrontation in a civil manner that, with hope, each party would learn the other side's thoughts to become more aware of their mistake. The students of Silliman College were not pleased.

The Assoicate Master offered Sunday lunch to the offended with discussion but they declined. Instead DOWN (magazine for black Yale students) issued a petition, rather long winded, on how Silliman's House Master was out of line and how it invalidated Yale's minorities. The petition garnered over 740 signatures of current students, alumni and other students from various universities. The House Master's husband was willing enough to have a public talk in the college's courtyard. Bad move. The students surrounded him, arms crossed, and demanded an apology to the students he offended. One student said that if he were not to apology she'd leave; another urged the crowd to walk away and that the House Master did not deserve their time; an enraged student dropped her backpack, got into his face and said that he was unsuitable to be House Master due to him not creating a "home" for current Yale students - that his actions were urging several current Yale students to transfer.

Welcome to Yale.

Going Back In Time ... To 2012.

For the POTUS election, Obama vs Romney.

This is what a Yale College Democrat wrote after the election.

Throughout the course of the 2012 Election Cycle, the pundits continued to predict that student turnout would be lower than the 2008 election. They claimed that students were less involved, less excited, running on empty.

But on November 6^th we proved them wrong. More than 1,500 Yale students turned out to the polls to vote, almost double the number of Yale students that voted in the 2010 midterm elections and even higher than the number of Yale students that voted in 2008.

While the pundits may not have been expecting those numbers, what they failed to realize was that students had a lot at stake in this election. In the wake of the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, students had a choice between a candidate who recognized the devastation as a real effect of climate change and a candidate who turned climate change into a punch line at the Republican National Convention. Students had a choice between a candidate who affirmed the right of every citizen in this country to love whomever they choose and a candidate who would deny that right to millions of Americans. Students had a choice between a candidate who would work to protect student loans and a candidate who would tell the 55% of Yale students on financial aid to just borrow college money from their parents.

With choices like these, it’s not surprising that students made their voices heard at the polls. But more than just showing up to vote, students had also worked tirelessly to get out the vote. From the beginning of this semester, the Yale College Democrats, the Democratic Town Committees, and Students Unite Now worked together to register more than 500 voters. We canvassed in New Haven together, and the Dems canvassed around the state and out of the state in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Dems even traveled to Pennsylvania over Fall Break.

To those who said that we couldn’t or that we wouldn’t: we said “yes we can” and “yes we will.” To those who said we were less involved or less excited: the thousands of people who we talked to on the phone or at their doors would beg to differ. And to those who said we were running on empty: I can tell you that we are fired up and ready to go for four more years.

There's so much wrong in this that it's laughable. Yes, the writer is from Yale, one of the world's elite institutions for higher education, and this is what it produces.