Difference between revisions of "Evergreen State College"

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Evergreen was one of many alternative colleges and programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, often described as “experiments.”<ref>https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED415810.pdf</ref> While the vast majority of these have either closed or adopted more mainstream approaches, Evergreen is one of the few that have remained steadfast in pursuing its original mission.<ref>https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0217/021745.html</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/28/028r-022800-idx.html</ref>
  
Evergreen was one of many alternative colleges and programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, often described as “experiments.”<ref>https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED415810.pdf</ref> While the vast majority of these have either closed or adopted more mainstream approaches, Evergreen is one of the few that have remained steadfast in pursuing its original mission.<ref>https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0217/021745.html</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/28/028r-022800-idx.html</ref>
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===2017 protests===
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President Bridges appointed a committee to study social equity on campus. In November 2016, the committee recommended changes to faculty hiring and evaluation criteria that proved to be controversial.<ref name="stranger"/> The debate continued through the spring semester.
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Every April from the 1970s until 2017, Evergreen held a daylong event called "Day of Absence", inspired by the [[Douglas Turner Ward]] play of the same name, during which minority students and faculty members voluntarily stayed off campus to raise awareness of the contributions of minorities and to discuss racial and campus issues.<ref name="dayofabsence" /><ref name="InsideHigherEd-20170530" /> Since 1992, the Day of Absence has been followed by the "Day of Presence", when the campus community reunites.<ref name="dayofabsence">"[http://evergreen.edu/multicultural/day-of-absence-day-of-presence Day of Absence & Day of Presence]", ''First Peoples Advising Services'', Evergreen State College. Retrieved June 3, 2017.</ref> In 2017, approximately 25% of Evergreen students were racial minorities.<ref name=wapo />
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{{anchor|Bret Weinstein}}In 2017, the Day of Absence was altered after students of color voiced concerns about feeling unwelcome on campus following the 2016 U.S. presidential election and a 2015 off-campus police shooting. For that year's event, white students, staff, and faculty were invited to attend an off-campus event.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cooperpointjournal.com/2017/04/10/day-of-absence-changes-form/|title=Day of Absence Changes Form|last=Manchester|first=Chloe|date=April 10, 2017|website=The Cooper Point Journal|access-date=June 27, 2017}}</ref> The off-campus event was held at a church that fit 200 people, about 10% of the white student body.<ref>Fischel, Anne, Grossman, Zoltan, & Nelson, Lin (August 11. 2017). "[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/evergreen-state-college-another-side_b_598cd293e4b090964295e8fc Another Side of The Evergreen State College Story: 10 realities about the campus tumult that are being ignored.]", ''[[Huffington Post]]''.</ref> An event for students of color was held on the Evergreen campus.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/discord-at-evergreen-state-simmered-for-a-year-before-it-boiled-over/|title=Long-simmering discord led to The Evergreen State College’s viral moment|date=2017-06-10|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=2017-09-15|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="dayofabsence"/><ref name="InsideHigherEd-20170530">Jaschik, Scott. (May 30, 2017)."[https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/30/escalating-debate-race-evergreen-state-students-demand-firing-professor Who Defines What Is Racist?]", ''[[Inside Higher Ed]]''. Retrieved June 3, 2017.</ref><ref name="dayofabsencearticle">"[http://www.cooperpointjournal.com/2017/04/10/day-of-absence-changes-form/ Day of Absence Changes Form]", ''Cooper Point Journal'', Evergreen State College. Retrieved June 15, 2017.</ref> [[Bret Weinstein]], a professor of biology at Evergreen, wrote a letter in March to Evergreen faculty, protesting the change in format.<ref name=wapo>{{cite news |first1=Susan |last1=Svrluga |first2=Joe |last2=Heim |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/01/threats-shut-down-college-embroiled-in-racial-dispute/ |title=Threat shuts down college embroiled in racial dispute |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 1, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/05/26/professor-told-hes-not-safe-on-campus-after-college-protests-at-evergreen-state-university-washington/|title=Opinion {{!}} 'Professor told he's not safe on campus after college protests' at Evergreen State College (Washington)|last=Volokh|first=Eugene|date=2017-05-26|work=Washington Post|access-date=2018-03-22|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Weinstein's emails were widely shared among conservative media outlets such as ''[[Breitbart News|Breitbart]]'' and ''[[Heat Street]]'', which led to harassment and threats towards school officials and faculty.<ref name="stranger">{{cite news|url=https://www.thestranger.com/news/2017/06/14/25216539/go-back-to-the-zoo-how-evergreen-state-college-became-a-target-for-right-wing-trolls|title="Go Back to the Zoo": How Evergreen State College Became a Target For Right-Wing Trolls|last1=Knauf|first1=Ana Sofia|date=June 14, 2017|work=The Stranger|accessdate=July 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In late May 2017, student protests—focused in part on the comments by Weinstein—disrupted the campus and called for a number of changes to the college.<ref name="InsideHigherEd-20170530" /><ref name="WashingtonTimes-20170525">Richardson, Bradford (May 25, 2017). "[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/25/evergreen-state-students-demand-professor-resign-f/ Students berate professor who refused to participate in no-whites 'Day of Absence']", ''[[The Washington Times]]''. Retrieved June 3, 2017.</ref> Weinstein says he was told that campus police could not protect him and that they encouraged him not to be on campus, which caused Weinstein to hold his biology class in a public park.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-campus-mob-came-for-meand-you-professor-could-be-next-1496187482|title=The Campus Mob Came for Me—and You, Professor, Could Be Next|first=Bret|last=Weinstein|date=30 May 2017|publisher=|via=www.wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.king5.com/news/local/olympia/professor-told-hes-not-safe-on-campus-after-college-protests/443098670|title=Professor told he's not safe on campus after college protests|publisher=}}</ref> Weinstein and his wife, Professor Heather Heying, later resigned and reached a $500,000 settlement with the university, after having sued it for failing to "protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article173710596.html|title=Evergreen settles with Weinstein, professor at the center of campus protests|last=|first=|date=|work=[[The Olympian]]|access-date=2018-11-11|language=en}}</ref>
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A June 1 direct threat to campus safety, targeting the protesters, led to an evacuation and two-day closure of the campus.<ref>Svrluga, Susan & Heim, Joe. (June 1, 2017). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/01/threats-shut-down-college-embroiled-in-racial-dispute/ Threat shuts down college embroiled in racial dispute]", ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved June 3, 2017.</ref> Vandals with sticks and baseball bats caused approximately $10,000 in damage to the campus and forced closure of the school for an additional day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/05/evergreen-state-college-reopens-after-violent-threat-and-property-damage-on-campus/|title=Evergreen State College reopens after violent threat and property damage on campus|first=Susan|last=Svrluga|date=5 June 2017|publisher=|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> A June 15 protest on campus by the far-right group [[Patriot Prayer]] led to campus being closed early.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/protests-roil-evergreen-campus-in-olympia-again/|title=Counter-protesters clash with pro-Trump group Patriot Prayer at Evergreen State College|date=2017-06-15|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=2017-09-15|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2017/12/10/right-wing-slugger-tiny-toese-arrested-again-while-trolling-portland/|title=Right-Wing Slugger "Tiny" Toese Arrested Again While Trolling Portland|work=Willamette Week|access-date=2017-12-11|language=en-US}}</ref> The following day, Evergreen's 2017 commencement ceremony was also moved off-campus because of safety concerns.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article154625464.html|title=Safety concerns prompt Evergreen to move commencement ceremony|last=Pemberton|first=Lisa|date=2017-06-06|work=The Olympian|access-date=2018-11-11|language=en}}</ref> Through the spring and summer, African American students reported receiving harassing and threatening messages.<ref>Littleton, Jacqueline. (June 16, 2017). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/opinion/media-alt-right-evergreen-college.html The Media Brought the Alt-Right to My Campus.]", ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> An African American staff member and faculty member both resigned before the end of the year, due to escalating online attacks against them.<ref>Spegman, Abby (December 12. 2017). "[https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article189327514.html Another Evergreen professor resigns in the wake of campus tensions and protests"], ''[[The Olympian]]''.</ref>
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A report from the college suggested that the protests may adversely affect Evergreen's enrollment, which has been declining over the last decade.<ref name="Olympian">{{cite news |last1=Spegman |first1=Abby |title=Evergreen looks to cut $6 million from its budget, raise fees due to enrollment drop |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article210893889.html |accessdate=July 21, 2018 |work=The Olympian |date=May 11, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> In the immediate aftermath enrollments fell, with the November 2018 head count dropping to 3,327 students, down from 3,881 students in 2017. The college's chief enrollment officer cited "questions about our reputation" as making efforts to attract students "more difficult" <ref name="The Seattle Times">{{cite news|last1=Spegman|first1=Abby|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/heres-what-evergreen-state-college-is-doing-to-boost-its-reputation-and-enrollment/|title=Here’s what Evergreen State College is doing to boost its reputation and enrollment|date=November 19, 2018|work=The Seattle Times|accessdate=September 18, 2019|language=en}}</ref> and the drop forced the college to cut its budget by 10% and increase student fees.<ref name="Olympian" /> Enrollment has since plummeted 27%, to 2,854 students in fall of 2019. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/in-hopes-of-ending-enrollment-woes-evergreen-state-college-is-overhauling-its-academic-programs/|title=In hopes of ending enrollment woes, The Evergreen State College is overhauling its academic programs|date=2019-12-26|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref>
   
 
== References ==
  
== References ==

Revision as of 15:55, 7 June 2020

The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study toward a degree or follow a pre-determined path of study. Full-time students can enrol in interdisciplinary academic programs, in addition to stand-alone classes. Programs typically offer students the opportunity to study several disciplines in a coordinated manner. Faculty write substantive narrative evaluations of students' work in place of issuing simple grades.

Evergreen's main campus, which includes its own salt-water beach, spans 1,000 acres of forest close to the southern end of Puget Sound. Evergreen also has a satellite campus in nearby Tacoma. The school offers a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Bachelor of Science, Master of Environmental Studies, Master in Teaching, Master of Public Administration, and Master of Public Administration in Tribal Governance.[1] As of 2018, there were 3,327 students, 3,018 of whom were undergraduates, and 223 faculty.[2]

Evergreen was one of many alternative colleges and programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, often described as “experiments.”[3] While the vast majority of these have either closed or adopted more mainstream approaches, Evergreen is one of the few that have remained steadfast in pursuing its original mission.[4][5]

2017 protests

President Bridges appointed a committee to study social equity on campus. In November 2016, the committee recommended changes to faculty hiring and evaluation criteria that proved to be controversial.[6] The debate continued through the spring semester.

Every April from the 1970s until 2017, Evergreen held a daylong event called "Day of Absence", inspired by the Douglas Turner Ward play of the same name, during which minority students and faculty members voluntarily stayed off campus to raise awareness of the contributions of minorities and to discuss racial and campus issues.[7][8] Since 1992, the Day of Absence has been followed by the "Day of Presence", when the campus community reunites.[7] In 2017, approximately 25% of Evergreen students were racial minorities.[9]

Template:AnchorIn 2017, the Day of Absence was altered after students of color voiced concerns about feeling unwelcome on campus following the 2016 U.S. presidential election and a 2015 off-campus police shooting. For that year's event, white students, staff, and faculty were invited to attend an off-campus event.[10] The off-campus event was held at a church that fit 200 people, about 10% of the white student body.[11] An event for students of color was held on the Evergreen campus.[12][7][8][13] Bret Weinstein, a professor of biology at Evergreen, wrote a letter in March to Evergreen faculty, protesting the change in format.[9][14] Weinstein's emails were widely shared among conservative media outlets such as Breitbart and Heat Street, which led to harassment and threats towards school officials and faculty.[6] In late May 2017, student protests—focused in part on the comments by Weinstein—disrupted the campus and called for a number of changes to the college.[8][15] Weinstein says he was told that campus police could not protect him and that they encouraged him not to be on campus, which caused Weinstein to hold his biology class in a public park.[16][17] Weinstein and his wife, Professor Heather Heying, later resigned and reached a $500,000 settlement with the university, after having sued it for failing to "protect its employees from repeated provocative and corrosive verbal and written hostility based on race, as well as threats of physical violence".[18]

A June 1 direct threat to campus safety, targeting the protesters, led to an evacuation and two-day closure of the campus.[19] Vandals with sticks and baseball bats caused approximately $10,000 in damage to the campus and forced closure of the school for an additional day.[20] A June 15 protest on campus by the far-right group Patriot Prayer led to campus being closed early.[21][22] The following day, Evergreen's 2017 commencement ceremony was also moved off-campus because of safety concerns.[23] Through the spring and summer, African American students reported receiving harassing and threatening messages.[24] An African American staff member and faculty member both resigned before the end of the year, due to escalating online attacks against them.[25]

A report from the college suggested that the protests may adversely affect Evergreen's enrollment, which has been declining over the last decade.[26] In the immediate aftermath enrollments fell, with the November 2018 head count dropping to 3,327 students, down from 3,881 students in 2017. The college's chief enrollment officer cited "questions about our reputation" as making efforts to attract students "more difficult" [27] and the drop forced the college to cut its budget by 10% and increase student fees.[26] Enrollment has since plummeted 27%, to 2,854 students in fall of 2019. [28]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.evergreen.edu/nativeprograms/mpa
  2. ↑ https://www.evergreen.edu/institutionalresearch/factpage
  3. ↑ https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED415810.pdf
  4. ↑ https://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0217/021745.html
  5. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/28/028r-022800-idx.html
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:Cite news
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Day of Absence & Day of Presence", First Peoples Advising Services, Evergreen State College. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jaschik, Scott. (May 30, 2017)."Who Defines What Is Racist?", Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Template:Cite news
  10. ↑ Template:Cite web
  11. ↑ Fischel, Anne, Grossman, Zoltan, & Nelson, Lin (August 11. 2017). "Another Side of The Evergreen State College Story: 10 realities about the campus tumult that are being ignored.", Huffington Post.
  12. ↑ Template:Cite news
  13. ↑ "Day of Absence Changes Form", Cooper Point Journal, Evergreen State College. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  14. ↑ Template:Cite news
  15. ↑ Richardson, Bradford (May 25, 2017). "Students berate professor who refused to participate in no-whites 'Day of Absence'", The Washington Times. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  16. ↑ Template:Cite web
  17. ↑ Template:Cite web
  18. ↑ Template:Cite news
  19. ↑ Svrluga, Susan & Heim, Joe. (June 1, 2017). "Threat shuts down college embroiled in racial dispute", The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  20. ↑ Template:Cite web
  21. ↑ Template:Cite news
  22. ↑ Template:Cite news
  23. ↑ Template:Cite news
  24. ↑ Littleton, Jacqueline. (June 16, 2017). "The Media Brought the Alt-Right to My Campus.", The New York Times.
  25. ↑ Spegman, Abby (December 12. 2017). "Another Evergreen professor resigns in the wake of campus tensions and protests", The Olympian.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Template:Cite news
  27. ↑ Template:Cite news
  28. ↑ Template:Cite web
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