Rebuttal to Alphonsus: If We Wake Up, We Will Make Lasting Change
No part of the Everglades Club scandal deserves praise or superficial sarcasm.
No part of the Everglades Club scandal deserves praise or superficial sarcasm.
As an author at The Conntrarian, I tend to shy away from sociopolitical matters. Writing satire, I poke fun at the novel parts of the college experience from my worldview as a Connecticut College student. My passion for the college informs my perspective; I am respectful of our articulate, sensitive, and informed community.
‘Alphonsus’ is a pseudonym for a far-right contributor at The Conntrarian, whose most recent article, “#MyPresident,” inspired me to make an exception to my writing style, abandoning satire to express my personal resentment for and ideological issues with “#MyPresident.” My choice is timely and fair. (I referred to “MyPresident” as morally bankrupt and attention seeking, ignorant to the pressing needs of the college in a comment to the post).
‘Alphonsus’ is not a Conn College student.
I am a Conn College student.
‘Alphonsus’ posits that they have confidence in “Connecticut College’s ability to survive even without Dean Rodmon King… [with] complete confidence in our Dear Leader, the great helmsman of our alma mater by the sea, President Bergeron,” admittedly being tongue-in-cheek. Trivializing and mocking the resignation of Dean Rodmon King, and professing, “how exactly a social club can be anti-black and anti-Semitic is a little above my paygrade,” ‘Alphonsus’ undeniably practices attention-seeking, bad journalism. That said, their pursuit of such journalism hurts the Conn College community.
Now is the time for sensitive reflection and inward thought, not superficial sarcasm and outrageous journalism. Working toward increasing the Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusion’s funding, meeting student demands, including their standards for building renovations, insisting on administrative accountability, and uniting a disappointed and fragmented campus community takes precedence over ‘Alphonsus,’ who hopes to offend liberals and—in fact—the entirety of Conn College.
Dean Rodmon King’s resignation follows an unambiguous trend: Conn’s Institutional Equity and Inclusion Staff quit because they struggle to make a living, working tirelessly to transform Conn into a more inclusive and welcoming institution. However, their progress is perennially undermined. The Everglades Club, a well-established and infamously racist and anti-Semitic country club, is the most recent example of an event, albeit canceled, that opposes and undermines the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Staff’s tremendous efforts. The DIEI Staff are critical to the health of the campus community.
Demanding accountability from the Conn College administration will take time. As spring slowly approaches, the prospect of student protests and growing division will grow even more momentous. In the meantime, the campus community will position itself away from the pitfalls of blind acceptance, refusing to be complicit, rather than simply waiting patiently for more diversity next year, self-contradictory apologies, or more deceiving promises. The college’s projected progress on diversity and inclusion is discrepant with their actions, calling into question the fabric of Conn College’s collective identity and image. (The college has been described as “performative,” as some find that the administration may claim to welcome all students, but in practice, establishes numerous barriers, including a costly tuition price).
To many, President Bergeron communicated Conn’s intolerance of racial and religious diversity through her plans to host an elitist country club gathering. Mocking the scandal and writing that “President Bergeron… is a liberal who will cave to the insane,” ‘Alphonsus’ demonstrated their apathy for the college’s well-being and spirit, causing even more division.
Sadly, ‘Alphonsus’ disrespects the integrity of our community at large, exploiting The Conntrarian’s journalistic platform to seek attention, rather than meaningfully contribute to campus discourse. His hyperbole is distracting. The main priority remains clear—demanding accountability from our administration and progress from President Bergeron, such as a strong declaration of her commitment to the betterment of the Connecticut College community and her desire to enrich our campus culture.
If the college hopes to learn from Dean King’s resignation, the Everglades Club scandal, and the discontent of the student body, then the administration must proceed thoughtfully, making well-rounded and measured considerations. Some purport that the Defy Boundaries Campaign should consider launching a charity initiative, uplifting those in need, instead of caving to the Everglades Club’s culture of elitism and exclusion. We maintain our hope that the college will aim to achieve new heights in diversity this admissions cycle, bringing together students, faculty, community members, and so many more, to make lasting change.
We anchor our hope, loyalty, wisdom, perspective, ambition, and kindness to the tenets of the liberal arts.
Regards,
Peyton
Dean King's resignation made a point to an audience he could count on as receptive. However, if the goal is change, then maximum effectiveness requires bringing the message to where it needs to be heard. In the present case, this means outside the box, off-campus, and it means preaching to people who are not in the choir.
Rather than boycotting The Everglades, Dean King and his staff could have accompanied President Bergeron to the fundraiser and participated in the program there -- under an agreement that if the Everglades did not admit Dean King, or treated him badly, then President Bergeron would join the Dean in walking out. Such a course of action would have channeled some of the finest moments of civil rights advocacy.
Either Dean King or President Bergeron could have proposed such a plan, or something similar. Apparently that did not happen. But what if it had?
If President Bergeron had refused to bring Dean King to The Everglades, that would have plainly demonstrated her allegiance to an unacceptable status quo and would support present calls for her resignation. On the other hand, had she embraced such a proposal, then she and Dean King would have entered The Everglades together. If The Everglades responded positively - constructively (or better, explicitly) renouncing its alleged racist history, that could be a positive sign of of some rehabilitation. On the other hand, if The Everglades responded negatively, affirming a continued identity as a discriminatory venue, and if the Dean and President had responded by walking out together, then the integrity of their joint protest would have demonstrated solidarity and moral courage on the part of all facets of the college administration. In addition to avoiding the negative public image conveyed by the presently mobilized circular firing squad, such joint action likely would have advanced both the College's reputation and its fund-raising success.
Thomas Schacht
Conn College, Class of 1973
In my previous post I’ve suggested that instead of preformative hysterics, if the Connmunity really wants to do financial blackmail right, they Better Call Saul:
the chorus of public whining, er… I mean “activism”, of the Connecticut College Connmunity will transform him overnight into a hot commodity in the fastest growing industry in America: professional race hustling.
And like any shakedown, the subtext of the message is obvious to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear: give us more money.
@blackvoicesconncoll: “DIEI is overworked, underpaid, and constantly disrespected.” Emphasis on underpaid.
If President Bergeron is to survive this crisis no doubt it will come at the cost of a hefty paycheck and if she doesn’t sign it, her successor will.
https://theconntrarian.substack.com/p/mypresident
I’m happy to hear that the @blackvoicesconncoll are such avid Conntarian readers because apparently this has become the official policy of the brave student protestors risking life and limb to whine about President Bergeron:
In addition to calling for Bergeron’s resignation, the students’ demands ranged from more funding for affinity groups and Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity programming, to renovating and expanding the Unity House and other spaces that serve underrepresented populations at the college.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theday.com%2Flocal-news%2F20230209%2Fconn-college-students-demand-bergerons-resignation%2F&fbclid=PAAaa1ZgowRuJlbd52Ea1P7fRkwYRApqbq1opmL7ow9FykWRIaRG0al0XxLh0
But even now, after contributing so much, I still feel compelled to help the student protestors in any way I can. Here’s a suggestion, maybe instead of calling Saul the @blackvoicesconncoll Better Phone Tone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gsz7Gu6agA
It could be a multicultural event with the school’s Italian club, talk about radical unification and radical change in action!