A Virginia-based think tank heavily funded by billionaire Charles Koch is among the financial backers of a Middlebury College lecture series that reignited an intense debate about campus free speech this week.
Middlebury’s Alexander Hamilton Forum was to host a public talk by conservative Polish politician and writer Ryszard Legutko on Wednesday. College administrators canceled the lecture, citing security worries, as protestors who branded Legutko a homophobe prepared to demonstrate.
The Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University helps fund the Alexander Hamilton Forum, the forum’s director, Middlebury assistant professor Keegan Callanan, confirmed to Seven Days Friday. The Hamilton series is meant to broaden debate and inquiry at the highly selective private liberal arts college.
Callanan, via email, said the grant came entirely from the institute’s free speech project, funded by the Asness Family Foundation. Clifford S. Asness is a billionaire hedge fund manager. All grants, including the ones for the Hamilton Forum, are reviewed by college officials, Callanan said.
Koch, a conservative political activist who Forbes magazine says is worth $52 billion, has given the institute millions of dollars. He serves on its board, as do two representatives of the Charles Koch Foundation.
The institute gave the Alexander Hamilton Forum $15,000 this school year.
Two other organizations also funded the series, according to Callanan: The J.P. Morgan Charitable Giving Fund gave $78,000, and the Jack Miller Center contributed $2,000.
“The Hamilton Forum has no ideological litmus tests for speakers or donors,” Callanan said via email.
Student protesters at Middlebury who oppose Legutko’s views issued a statement saying the administration had falsely implied that they posed the security risk that prompted the cancellation. In response, administrators sent out an email to campus Friday clarifying that they were concerned for the protesters’ safety.
The issue arose two years after ultra-conservative author Charles Murray’s talk on campus was shut down by protesters who injured professor Allison Stanger as she helped escort him to a waiting car.
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So?
Next, they’ll be bringing in speakers to debate the pros and cons of race riots in the 1920s. After that, is AIDS caused by watching too much Bert and Ernie? Debate both sides, they’re equally valid.
“The Hamilton Series is meant to broaden debate and inquiry at the highly selective private liberal arts college. ” No, the intent most certainly is not to broaden debate. The intent is to control the debate. I suppose subjecting students to odious arguments might seem to uphold one narrow conception of “freedom” but it would seem Prof Callahan might not be as well prepared for the role as previously thought. When one can read an odious perspective in a text book, what is the point of bringing the author in for a paid lesson? Perhaps to stand with authority behind a lectern and preach to the uncivilized heathens? Prof Callahan might need to re-read Berlin and familiarize himself with the two conceptions of liberty. The point of the Hamilton Series is not to present a meaningful debate, the point is to present one side from a position of authority, sponsored by people with power. qed
Interesting. An ideological viewpoint presented by a professor in a course required to graduate? Yup, that’s coercion.
An ideological viewpoint presented by a random speaker to which all were welcome but none obligated, nope, that’s not coercion.
Yet the anonymous random person above conflates the two?
oh deah, why can’t my lil’ ol’ ideological viewpoint have its day??? Phhht.
Spidergoat is correct. The point of the Hamilton Series is credibility.
The kochs also give money to NPR and the nea, those must therefore be bad. Right?
That’s how this works, right??
The Kock brothers gave $23 million to PBS, who then cancelled funding for the documentary film, Citizen Koch. That’s what their “charitable” donation bought them.
Doom, see Edo’s comment providing evidence of how that donation harmed PBS.
I don’t understand the point of this story other than to fill the required “Koch Brother Related Story” quota.
The implication that donations and donors direct content decisions is always going to be a worry in regards to donor supported news organizations, like PBS, VT Digger, and Mother Jones.
Kochs also sponsored an evolution display that was hosted by the Burlington Library. It presented white people as more highly evolved than black people and was shocking! When I spoke to the library about it, they assured me that there is a black person on their Board and she thought it was fine. Well it was not fine, and the program was being primarily viewed by school children. This Hall of Human Origins traveling display was made possible by a $15 million grant from billionaire David Koch.
But that’s Burlington, home of the 64 panel parade of history mural featuring all white notables. Burlington has always been a diverse community, going back to the time when the Abenaki lived here and taught the Europeans how to farm (and survive) in this land.
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/LiveCulture/ar…
https://thinkprogress.org/smithsonian-stan…
Lea,
Your statement is completely false, good on the library for not pandering to extremists.
Patrick,
Can you read? The Kochs funded the library exhibit.
https://thinkprogress.org/smithsonian-stan…
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/LiveCulture/ar…
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052…
http://humanorigins.si.edu/exhibit
Lea
Lea,
I understand the Kochs’ charitable giving supported the travelling exhibit. That exhibit, and the permanent exhibit they also funded at the Smithsonian, are in no way racist. Your claim to that effect is an utter, deliberate falsehood. And again, kudos to the library staff for standing up to an extremist.
I heard that Middlebury just lost a grant to study the human spine because not one could be found on campus. Instead the college will be training its sights on worms, which is in keeping with the campus-wide desire for lateral travel through only what won’t surprise. Vertical movement is henceforth forbidden. Related: the panther as a sports mascot is way too vertical and spine-y for the left wing college, and from now on they shall be known as the
WORMS
Great comment from the “College Fix” at https://www.thecollegefix.com/middlebury-a… :
“And Professor Keegan Callanan, who directs the Alexander Hamilton Forum at Middlebury, also told theJournal: During the days of communist totalitarianism, scholars from the West traveled to Eastern Bloc nations to give underground lectures and seminars. On Wednesday, Mr. Legutko returned the favor.
Is it any surprise that the Kochs would be connected to an event featuring an extreme right wing speaker? All Conservatives support people and policies that are blatantly racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic and bigoted. This is no secret is it? That being said and even though conservative ideology is repugnant, this is supposedly a free country and even extreme right wing neo-Fascists like Legutko should be able to speak and if right wing extremists like the Kochs want to underwrite them, well, its their money isnt it?
I just looked up Ryszard Legutko. He is about on the level of the Proud Boys. Bleh. I’ve got no sympathy for the man or his beliefs.
At the same time, I was disgusted by the riot at Middlebury over Charles Murray, who is NOT an ultra conservative. Molly ( a good writer over the years who I respect) should do deeper reading, I think she will find she is wrong about Murray, who is a libertarian who’s book that sparked the Middlebury riot was written with a left leaning coauthor. I, along with about 80% of the population according to Pew, Loathe PC. PC takes an understandable concern and turns it into something not so far removed from book burning. John Cleese has given PC a good thumping.
I do not know what to say about inviting Ryszard Legutko. He seems to actually be the person Middlebury students thought Murray is. It makes the people inviting him look bad. Inviting hateful nut jobs left and right is of course ones right. I understand that the right to state stupid or disgusting things is protected free speech in most cases, but why do people (campus groups I mean) not find better examples when looking for speakers, and instead choose people who make their own side of the spectrum look ugly and ignorant?