The worlds of journalism and academics seem to have moved beyond the recent controversy over the Wesleyan Argus.
The student run newspaper has seen its budget slashed dramatically at the same time it has struggled with backlash from an op-ed on the Black Lives Matter movement. Some students and readers found the op-ed offensive and took their anger out on the paper.
Weeks later, a few graduates of Wesleyan University have published letters to the editor(class of ’65) in the Argus asking current students and the student government to find a more constructive way to address the issue.
One short comment from a 1954 graduate shows how the matter is about more than the student newspaper, it’s about the reputation of the school itself:
As a Wesleyan Graduate (1954) I find the recent WASHINGTON POST article about partial defunding of the Wesleyan Argus a total embarrassment. However, this is not the first time I have felt this way, dating back to 1994. As a consequence, I only show my degree from Wesleyan on my resume, but in my public bio for presentations, invited lectures, panel participation, and professional society matters, I do not disclose my Wesleyan degree. That’s how embarrassed I am about my alma mater.
George Devries Klein – Class of 1954
