The Fora STFU Center for Professional Development

[Volhiker78]

How is it more complicated?  The Dean's actions are the primary basis of the lawsuit.  Her emails show she believed the students prematurely.  She attacked faculty colleagues in college emails who tried to caution her.  The lawsuit is on her and she was also personally found guilty by the jury. 

[Puget]

How is it more complicated?  The Dean's actions are the primary basis of the lawsuit.  Her emails show she believed the students prematurely.  She attacked faculty colleagues in college emails who tried to caution her.  The lawsuit is on her and she was also personally found guilty by the jury.

Unless you think the general counsel is lying, "grabbing a bullhorn, joining student protests against Gibsons Baker" is incorrect. She was there to supervise the protest as required by college policy, not join it, and she was not protesting with a bullhorn, just identifying herself and her role for all present. I'm not saying mistakes were not made (they are not saying that either), but your characterization of what happened does not match the general counsel's statement.

[Volhiker78]

There was disagreement between her version and observers of the protest during the trial.  No, I don't believe her version nor the college's. Neither did the jury.   If all you intend to do is identify yourself, I doubt you need to bring a bullhorn.  I think her job requires her to try and be an arbitrator until all facts are gathered.  She failed. 

[marshwiggle]

I wish that the Dean of Students at my alma mater, Oberlin College, had STFU instead of grabbing a bullhorn, joining student protests against Gibsons Baker, and attacking colleagues in emails who cautioned her against her stand.  Now Oberlin has to fight a 44 million dollar jury decision.  See latest Chronicle for details.

Its more complicated than that: https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/content/office/general-counsel/current-issues/faqs.pdf

From The Atlantic:

Reed, Raimondo, and some Oberlin professors "raised their fists in support of the demonstration," with some of them "shouting the defamatory statements on a bullhorn, thereby assuring that a large audience would hear their defamatory statements."

Credit was given to students who attended the protest in lieu of classes, and administrators bought them food to support them.

So yeah, it's more complicated, and no surprise that Oberlin would downplay any behaviour by their own people.