RE: Infantilized Yale students meltdown over professor’s thoughts on costumes
I, like all of you, am disgusted by this. There should be consequences for these students for acting like entitled brats to whom the rules simply do not apply (because they had their feelingzzzz hurt by someone's WORDS).
Anyone here in RVF a Yaley and not afraid of the mob? There's a Black Knighting opportunity here.
Yale has Undergraduate Regulations in force that all students must adhere to.
http://yalecollege.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/URs 2015-2016(1).pdf
Here are the three "core" values:
1) Its commitment to protect free expression and peaceful dissent and to preserve mutual respect and charitable relations among all members of the Yale community.
2) Its belief that physical restriction, coercion, or intimidation of any member of that community is contrary to the basic principles of the University.
3) Its expectation that such action will ordinarily result in temporary or permanent separation from Yale College.
The purpose of the regulations that follow is to spell out some of the actions that place the community in jeopardy and that may therefore result in suspension or expulsion from it. In general, these regulations are concerned with conduct on campus. While offcampus misconduct will not normally be the basis for disciplinary action by the University, it may result in disciplinary action...
The Regulations create an Executive to investigate academic and non-academic offences and in some cases discipline the offending students. Here are some of the "offences" set out in the Regulations:
Offenses
Among the offenses that are subject to disciplinary action are the following:
...
C. Acts of violence or physical force
Physical restriction, assault, or any other act of violence or use of physical force against any member of the community, or any act that threatens the use of violence or physical force.
...
E. Harassment, intimidation, or coercion
Acts of harassment, intimidation, or coercion, including harassment on the basis of race, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation.
F. Interference with University functions
Participation in any effort to prevent or disrupt a class or other University function, or to seize or occupy any University building or part thereof, or to violate the right of an audience to listen at a University function. (See Free Expression, Peaceful Dissent, and Demonstrations.)
G. Riots
Participation in or attendance at riots or mass disturbances on the city streets or on any area of the campus.
Here is an excerpt from the Free Expression, Peaceful Dissent and Demonstrations section of the Regulations:
The right of free expression in a university also includes the right to peaceful dissent, protests in peaceable assembly, and orderly demonstrations, which may include picketing and the distribution of leaflets. These are permitted on the Yale campus, subject to approval as to schedule and location by the appropriate University official, until or unless they disrupt regular or essential operations of the University or significantly infringe upon the rights of others, particularly the right to listen to a speech or lecture. It is a violation of University regulations for any member of the faculty, staff, or student body to prevent the orderly conduct of a University function or activity, such as a lecture, meeting, interview (including a job interview), ceremony, or other public event. It is similarly a violation of University regulations to block the legitimate activity of any person on the Yale campus or in any Yale building or facility. Demonstrations or protests which exceed these limits will subject the participants to temporary or permanent separation from the University.
A faculty member could, and likely
should, complain to the Executive about a breach of the Regulations by most or all of these students, which would start the investigative and disciplinary processes. Unfortunately, I have little faith that any faculty member will, given the snivelling apology referenced above. That said, these students engaged in conduct that at least ought to be investigated by the Executive, and perhaps in some cases the disciplinary process should be started.
There is a mechanism for another student to complain, although I see a potential for interference from the faculty who may want to sweep this all under the rug arising from the requirement that any student complaints must receive a kind of "parental supervision":
B. Submission of complaints
Complaints of alleged infractions of the Undergraduate Regulations, academic or nonacademic, shall initially be referred to the chair of the Executive Committee or, in the chair’s absence, to the secretary. The formal complaint must be made in writing and must describe in specific detail the complaint and the information upon which it is based.
...
b) An undergraduate student may bring a complaint of a nonacademic infraction to the attention of the chair only in conjunction with his or her residential college master, residential college dean, a member of the Yale College Dean’s Office, a human relations counselor, a member of the President’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Harassment, or the Yale Police Department.
Thus it would take a student with some gumption, some tenancity and little fear, because I suspect the faculty may attempt to talk any student complaining about these entitled brats out of it.
There is a more particularized process (with more natural justice safeguards) for "any case involving a charge of acts of violence or physical force, harassment, intimidation, or coercion", but this specialized process appears to apply only when the complainant him or herself is the victim of the physical force, harassment, intimidation or coercion and it would appear that in the wake of the apology, that is not going to happen.
It's a long shot, but I have to believe someone in the faculty at Yale is very unimpressed with the tactics used by these students to mob another faculty member for merely speaking his mind and trying to stick up for his own wife.
