Statement on speaker shutdown at Claremont McKenna College
Background
In April 2017, political commentator Heather Mac Donald was booked to speak at Claremont McKenna College, a private liberal arts school in California. Mac Donald was supposed to discuss her latest book, The War on Cops, which includes significant criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement. On the day of the talk, about 170 protesters showed up and formed an insurmountable blockade at the entrance to the building where the talk was planned. Seeing the size of the crowd, college leaders instead had Mac Donald deliver her lecture to a nearly empty hall and streamed it online. After an investigation, the college suspended some of the students involved.
Excerpt from President Hiram E. Chodosh’s Statement (April 7, 2017)
“The breach of our freedoms to listen to views that challenge us and to engage in dialogue about matters of controversy is a serious, ongoing concern we must address effectively. Accordingly, we will be developing new strategies for how best to protect open, safe access to our events.”
What we like about this statement
- Opens with clear information about the circumstances around the event and the rationales behind administrative decision making.
- Specifies which rules were broken and next steps to be taken.
- Condemns the disruption, affirming the importance of free speech and dialogue on controversial issues.
- Links to Mac Donald’s lecture for those unable to see it because of the disruption.