Dear Bill,
I know you've been following the insane protests that have been occurring at places like Missouri, Yale, and Ithaca. I had wondered how long it would take for them to reach Rochester. Sure enough, they made it here two Fridays ago, culminating in students handing the university president a list of DEMANDS (as you will see in the link I provide). I thought you might find this interesting.
I find the contrast between the mentality of the students and the mentality that I was raised with to be starkly different — almost shockingly so. I tried to think of a time when I felt I was in the position to demand something from anyone, and I can't think of one time. Certainly never with a boss, professor, or university president. To demand something is to not be open to dialogue.
To my disgust, only a few days after the protests, the university president sent a massive email to the entire campus community, conceding to many of the demands of the protesters. As you say, there is no coward like a university administrator!
One other note, if you look at the petition, you notice that the students are demanding a "Bias Related Incidents" reporting network. We have a CARE network on campus, which any campus member can use to report any other campus member who seems to be struggling with something. I don't hate the CARE system, although I see it as coddling, because it often does help students who have fallen into hard times and need help (drug related issues, family strife, etc.). But this "Bias Related Incidents" reporting network is downright Orwellian.
You'll also notice that the petition mentions "intolerable acts of racism" as a motivating reason for change, but they never mention one specific act of racism.
Anyway, I thought you might find a "live report" interesting. I hope this finds you well. Here's the link: