Columbia deans placed on leave

[Ancient Fellow]

This popped up in my Google 'new tab' feed this morning. Oddly, three deans are on leave and being investigated for anti-Semitic texts, and the announcement was made by a fourth dean ... who also was participating in the texting.

https://freebeacon.com/campus/three-columbia-deans-placed-on-leave-pending-investigation/

[RatGuy]

I haven't been able to find corroboration of that story outside of a circle of websites which link back to the original WFB post(s)

[Parasaurolophus]

The texts included Kromm's use of vomit emojis to refer to a Columbia University rabbi's op-ed sounding the alarm about the eruption of anti-Semitism on campus and Patashnick's accusation that one of the panelists, Columbia Hillel director Brian Cohen, was taking "full advantage of this moment" for its "fundraising potential."

Is that the best they can do? This doesn't sound like it rises to anti-semitism in my book.

[Langue_doc]

In the NYT:

3 Columbia Deans Placed on Leave Over Conduct at Antisemitism Panel
Leaked images showed the trio sharing disparaging text messages during an alumni group discussion last month about Jewish life on campus.

[dismalist]

The texts included Kromm's use of vomit emojis to refer to a Columbia University rabbi's op-ed sounding the alarm about the eruption of anti-Semitism on campus and Patashnick's accusation that one of the panelists, Columbia Hillel director Brian Cohen, was taking "full advantage of this moment" for its "fundraising potential."

Is that the best they can do? This doesn't sound like it rises to anti-semitism in my book.

In the NYT:

3 Columbia Deans Placed on Leave Over Conduct at Antisemitism Panel
Leaked images showed the trio sharing disparaging text messages during an alumni group discussion last month about Jewish life on campus.

Whatever these clowns do, and whether they are busted, and whether protesters are busted, strikes me as completely secondary. The word is out about various campuses' governance, and the customers will vote by the feet. Those that do it wrong, whatever wrong is [!], will suffer.

Apparently, this mechanism has already kicked in in at least one place, Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Emerson College says enrollment down significantly after "negative" reaction to student protests; layoffs planned

[spork]

[. . .]

Apparently, this mechanism has already kicked in in at least one place, Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Emerson College says enrollment down significantly after "negative" reaction to student protests; layoffs planned

I'm not buying it. Administrators are trying to hide financial mismanagement. Emerson's FTE undergraduate enrollment went from 3,434 in 2009 to 4,386 in 2022, an increase of 28%. Prior to the pandemic, annual contributions were in the $8-10 million range. The bureaucrats could have set some of the revenue aside for a rainy day. Instead, annual expenses rose from $250 million in 2019 to $308 million in 2022 -- with Emerson claiming $23 million in net revenue in the latter year. They went on a spending spree, burned through that $23 million of profit in less than two years, and now have to deal with 1) the end of federal pandemic aid, 2) the 2008 birth dearth, and 3) declining student interest in performing arts/media.

[dismalist]

[. . .]

Apparently, this mechanism has already kicked in in at least one place, Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Emerson College says enrollment down significantly after "negative" reaction to student protests; layoffs planned

I'm not buying it. Administrators are trying to hide financial mismanagement. Emerson's FTE undergraduate enrollment went from 3,434 in 2009 to 4,386 in 2022, an increase of 28%. Prior to the pandemic, annual contributions were in the $8-10 million range. The bureaucrats could have set some of the revenue aside for a rainy day. Instead, annual expenses rose from $250 million in 2019 to $308 million in 2022 -- with Emerson claiming $23 million in net revenue in the latter year. They went on a spending spree, burned through that $23 million of profit in less than two years, and now have to deal with 1) the end of federal pandemic aid, 2) the 2008 birth dearth, and 3) declining student interest in performing arts/media.

There's an enrollment decline. Unless they're lying about that, one would have to advance contorted explanations for the effects of the protests, such as they really helped enrollment, but were outweighed by other factors.

[Sun_Worshiper]

[. . .]

Apparently, this mechanism has already kicked in in at least one place, Emerson College in Massachusetts.

Emerson College says enrollment down significantly after "negative" reaction to student protests; layoffs planned

I'm not buying it. Administrators are trying to hide financial mismanagement. Emerson's FTE undergraduate enrollment went from 3,434 in 2009 to 4,386 in 2022, an increase of 28%. Prior to the pandemic, annual contributions were in the $8-10 million range. The bureaucrats could have set some of the revenue aside for a rainy day. Instead, annual expenses rose from $250 million in 2019 to $308 million in 2022 -- with Emerson claiming $23 million in net revenue in the latter year. They went on a spending spree, burned through that $23 million of profit in less than two years, and now have to deal with 1) the end of federal pandemic aid, 2) the 2008 birth dearth, and 3) declining student interest in performing arts/media.

There's an enrollment decline. Unless they're lying about that, one would have to advance contorted explanations for the effects of the protests, such as they really helped enrollment, but were outweighed by other factors.

The protests could affect enrollment. Anecdotally I know one person who is urging her kid away from applying to certain universities for this reason.

But obviously neither this anecdote nor the evidence that dismalist is showing demonstrate anything convincingly. Even my undergrads know correlation =/ causality. I would guess that the protests are having a minimal to nonexistent impact on enrollments, but for now nobody really knows.

[spork]

[. . .]

convincingly. Even my undergrads know correlation =/ causality. I would guess that the protests are having a minimal to nonexistent impact on enrollments, but for now nobody really knows.

How many of last year's campus protesters put their money where their mouths were and transferred to a different university more to their stated political liking? For those attending Ivy League and Ivy League-adjacent institutions, my guess is that the number is effectively zero. And I'm guessing that Columbia and Harvard are still admitting a single digit percentage of undergraduate applicants for the coming academic year.

Schools like Emerson don't have a public image or enrollment problem, they have a cost problem.

[dismalist]

[. . .]

convincingly. Even my undergrads know correlation =/ causality. I would guess that the protests are having a minimal to nonexistent impact on enrollments, but for now nobody really knows.

How many of last year's campus protesters put their money where their mouths were and transferred to a different university more to their stated political liking? For those attending Ivy League and Ivy League-adjacent institutions, my guess is that the number is effectively zero. And I'm guessing that Columbia and Harvard are still admitting a single digit percentage of undergraduate applicants for the coming academic year.

Schools like Emerson don't have a public image or enrollment problem, they have a cost problem.

I wouldn't expect the protesters to switch to schools more to their political liking. After all, if they did, there'd be no reason protest! Protesting is rewarding emotionally. I also doubt that many non-protesters would switch, on account of sunk cost. But choices among incoming students could change.

This wouldn't affect total enrollment in prestigious colleges at all. There, merely the character of the student bodies would become more homogeneous politically, one way or the other in different places. [I don't even see this as a problem.]

But I had not heard of Emerson before. They claim to have an enrollment problem. Perhaps they don't; perhaps they do.

[Sun_Worshiper]

[. . .]

convincingly. Even my undergrads know correlation =/ causality. I would guess that the protests are having a minimal to nonexistent impact on enrollments, but for now nobody really knows.

How many of last year's campus protesters put their money where their mouths were and transferred to a different university more to their stated political liking? For those attending Ivy League and Ivy League-adjacent institutions, my guess is that the number is effectively zero. And I'm guessing that Columbia and Harvard are still admitting a single digit percentage of undergraduate applicants for the coming academic year.

Schools like Emerson don't have a public image or enrollment problem, they have a cost problem.

I wouldn't expect the protesters to switch to schools more to their political liking. After all, if they did, there'd be no reason protest! Protesting is rewarding emotionally. I also doubt that many non-protesters would switch, on account of sunk cost. But choices among incoming students could change.

This wouldn't affect total enrollment in prestigious colleges at all. There, merely the character of the student bodies would become more homogeneous politically, one way or the other in different places. [I don't even see this as a problem.]

But I had not heard of Emerson before. They claim to have an enrollment problem. Perhaps they don't; perhaps they do.

Lots of schools have enrollment problems and there are several variables that could play a part in that. Protests are one among many, but it is all just guesswork until someone does some analysis.

[. . .]

convincingly. Even my undergrads know correlation =/ causality. I would guess that the protests are having a minimal to nonexistent impact on enrollments, but for now nobody really knows.

Schools like Emerson don't have a public image or enrollment problem, they have a cost problem.

I know nothing about Emerson, so I'll take your word for it.

[Sun_Worshiper]

I just read the NYT article and it seems like a reach to say that the texts were antisemitic. In bad taste, perhaps, but not necessarily antisemitic.

In any case, I look forward to the free speech absolutists coming to their defense.

[Ruralguy]

Free speech and antisemitism are irrelevant. They made inappropriate comments in their roles as Deans. They should be at least reprimanded. This very well might be the kind of thing that would get a dean fired at my college (a non-academic one that is). However, we are in a right to work state. So, we usually say to someone "sure, you are entitled to a hearing, lawyers, etc. We can try working that out. But be aware that your offense could eventually be leaked out via such a lengthy process. We can even pay you for some of that period. or, we can say nothing to anybody ever, and you can walk out the door now." Almost everyone decides to walk out the door that day.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Free speech and antisemitism are irrelevant. They made inappropriate comments in their roles as Deans. They should be at least reprimanded. This very well might be the kind of thing that would get a dean fired at my college (a non-academic one that is). However, we are in a right to work state. So, we usually say to someone "sure, you are entitled to a hearing, lawyers, etc. We can try working that out. But be aware that your offense could eventually be leaked out via such a lengthy process. We can even pay you for some of that period. or, we can say nothing to anybody ever, and you can walk out the door now." Almost everyone decides to walk out the door that day.

Yes, I get that, it is a public facing job. But also these were private text messages that were revealed because someone was snapping photos over their shoulders.

[kaysixteen]

So on this and several other threads recently it has been remarked that a significant problem colleges have nowadays both attracting students, getting parents to want to send kid there, etc., comes from the exorbitant cost of college these days, even public ones.  So does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be done about this?