Oberlin Governance

Scott Jaschik:

Oberlin College is regularly mocked by conservatives for being what they consider a politically correct institution. On Wednesday, Oberlin’s president did something few of his counterparts did in the fall when given lists of demands by protesting students. He said he wouldn’t negotiate based on the current demands.

Marvin Krislov, the president, said that while some of the demands “resonate with me and many members of our community, including our trustees,” he would not respond directly to the proposals from black students, which were termed non-negotiable.

“[S]ome of the solutions it proposes are deeply troubling,” Krislov wrote in a response posted on Oberlin’s website. “I will not respond directly to any document that explicitly rejects the notion of collaborative engagement. Many of its demands contravene principles of shared governance. And it contains personal attacks on a number of faculty and staff members who are dedicated and valued members of this community.”