I am a current parent and am equally as shocked!!!

I have read the one sided social media posts detailing VSG opposing candidates’ viewpoints qualifying Jordan Gould’s attendance to a frat party his Freshman year as a “racist action”. In my opinion such a vitriolic diatribe stands as the poster child of social media bullying in its purest form!!!

Quite candidly, I am shocked that the University has not yet intervened on this student’s behalf. While Jordan was provided a platform to respond (which he did), only to become the subject of a 300 person Zoom call to further denounce his actions as a racist and promptly and unilaterally award him a vote of “no confidence” to be immediately published in a University affiliated publication. All of this public shaming issued in the SOLE DETERMINATION of a specific group who apparently have decided themselves to be the “judge, jury and executioner” of societally acceptable student behavior.

I will be shocked if the University does not intervene in this matter. The behavior of these students is appalling. If a “woke” culture is equivalent to reverse discrimination and condoning intolerance to self-perceived inequities, then I will opt to stay “asleep”!!!

I suppose now the tenets of “wokism” have been expanded to include not only race, gender, sexual preference, and nationality but now cries of economic inequity are also being levelled alongside “white privilege”, both of which are apparently epitomized in the Greek frats and sororities currently being targeted.

Enough is enough!! If these students do not embrace the so called trappings of Greek life, then simply opt not to join a fraternity or sorority. As to the social media poster advocating for the abolishment of all Greek life at VU because he/she felt excluded; then I would suggest he/she quit attending Greek functions and seek like-minded fellowship elsewhere. Economic inequity aside, no student or collection of students should be given the right to publicly shame another student for his choices. It just so happens that some students do enjoy the camaraderie and community services these organizations offer. It is not up to the ideas and values of a select few to decide options for the majority. After all we live in a Democratic and Capitalistic nation, where freedom of speech and freedom of choice (within the constraints of the Common Law) are valued and embraced by most and in my opinion should be reflected accordingly in our institutions of higher learning.

I suppose the takeaway in this instance is the blatant hypocrisy of justified “bullying” (based on the perceived inequities of a few) and the University’s condonement of such to date. Of course, like the prospective parent noted herein, many more families of prospective students can also exercise that same freedom and opt out of an application to VU. Dare I say, if many more prospective parents see these articles, I think they might react exactly the same. I honestly cannot blame this parent for advocating against their child’s consideration to attend VU. Who wants to pay a lofty tuition to have their child publicly bullied for attending a frat party? The article touting Vandy’s acceptance rate being lower than ever is eerily timed; because if the university allows this incident to go unchecked, I do believe future year’s articles will be lamenting a reverse in this trend.

Finally, as a Vandy parent, I am saddened that the lack of timely oversight by the administration of VU, like that of so many other schools opting to follow the current media fueled frenzy of political “wokeness”, has chosen to allow the renegade actions of a few to negatively affect the University as a whole – alumni, current students and prospective students alike!!!

If ever there was a time to “anchor down” against the dictatorial mandates implemented by means of public defamation and attempted character assault by a select few students targeting large specific groups and advocating that the University simply erase its history by renaming certain buildings (to be chosen in the sole opinion of that same select few) now is the time!!! Perhaps it is time that VU administration enact its own form of “woke” culture- one in which the tail is NOT wagging the dog!!

Lest you forget that the donors funding VU’s collective generosity, and the diversity that inevitably follows as a result, are under no obligation to continue to do so. Should the court of public opinion be swayed, which inevitably it will be – given its fickle nature which just so happens to be currently fueled by a reverence for social acceptance and adherence to social media, so too could the current public perceptions and popularity of Vanderbilt University go. There is a reason VU has risen in national rankings to become one of the most desired institutions of higher learning. Perhaps it is time to take a step back and reconsider what precisely brought us to this point? Suffice it to say, the University’s failure to intervene on matters of public shaming under the guise of political correctness is most likely NOT the answer!!!