Broken culture: Reopening the Murray incident
In the spring of 2017, Charles Murray, a political scientist known for his controversial work “The Bell Curve” was invited by the American Enterprise Institute Club to speak at Middlebury College. His presence sparked student protests that not only disrupted his speech but also escalated to violence which left one faculty injured, drawing national media attention. In the aftermath, President Laurie Patton admitted that the college had not lived up to its foundational values and recognized the need to confront the "deep and troubling divisions" unveiled by the incident. Following these events, faculty issued a public statement, Free Inquiry on Campus, which emphasized the importance of “free, reasoned, and civil speech and discussion” as essential for authentic learning, labeling the prevention of speakers from speaking as a “coercive act.” Subsequently, Patton addressed the faculty in a commentary titled “Free Speech, Inclusivity, and the Public Sphere,” highlighting the critical situation facing Middlebury College as a leading institution committed to courageous engagement. In this address, she urged faculty members to inspire students to express themselves fearlessly and with conviction, emphasizing the dual role of education in introducing students to a range of ideas and preparing them to positively impact the world. Patton also pointed out the need to balance the challenge of a liberal education with acknowledgment of the hardships faced by students from marginalized communities. Shortly after, the college imposed disciplinary actions on 74 students, with consequences ranging from “probation to official college discipline.”