“There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.” For What It’s Worth, Stephen Stills
What do you do when you’re a premier public university with a new president who is revered by faculty, students and alumni alike? If you’re the University of Virginia, you summarily fire that president without giving any concrete or credible justification. And then watch as all hell breaks loose. Because that’s what’s happening right now in Charlottesville, at the esteemed institution Thomas Jefferson founded two centuries ago. Apparently, the head of the board of trustees, quaintly called the Board of Visitors at UVa, thought the best way to resolve some philosophical differences with the school’s president of a mere two years was to emulate Donald Trump and simply declare “you’re fired.” Evidently, “Board of Visitors” is an apt name, because no one but a clueless visitor
could have bungled this situation any worse. Tone deaf to everything but the machinations of her narrow mind, the head Visitor engaged in opaque intrigue worthy of HBO’s Game of Thrones to oust President Theresa Sullivan without so much as a formal vote, sparking a firestorm of protest from all quarters. Respected faculty resigned. Students wailed. Even the governor of Virginia disapproved. The whole episode can be summed up in one popular phrase. ” What were they thinking?”
Stay tuned. Battle lines are being drawn. This drama hasn’t reached intermission.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
softrights 