August 23, 2007
Join the resistance!
As was made public by Josiah yesterday, Wallace Anderson, Covenant's VP for Enrollment Management, has effectively seized control of the student newspaper, the Bagpipe.
Anderson showed up just after I graduated, so his draconian and ill-conceived policies never directly affected me while a student, but his influence is disastrous. Josiah has good links to his conduct in the above link, so I won't reiterate them here.
I propose that concerned alumni officially boycott alumni contributions until Anderson changes his tune. He can start by reinstating student control of the Bagpipe, and continue by radically reforming his handling of student discipline. If he refuses to make concessions, I will continue my boycott until such time has he resigns.
Covenant College has the opportunity to be part of a truly unique group of colleges in this country as a representative of the genius of the Reformed tradition. But instead of playing to its strengths, potentially creating a magnet for some of our generation's best and most interesting students, Anderson has chosen to play to everyone else's weaknesses, instituting policies which would appear unsavory at a fundamentalist Baptist school.
Join me. Chattanooga has one Tennessee Temple already: it doesn't need another.
Ryan,
I'm a concerned alumnus. Do you actually have any facts on which to base your indignation? Josiah provides some unattributed quotes and his own speculation about the Bagpipe policy. Plus one link to one incident more than two years ago in which Anderson arguably overfined some students. And one other link about another staff member's overreaction, also more than two years old. Thin stuff, if you ask me.
I am concerned about the new Bagpipe policy, but even more concerned about the willingness of some alumni to believe the worst about the administration on the slimmest of evidence.
If things are really as bad as suggested, it shouldn't be hard for someone to actually document, instead of just spreading innuendo and rumor.
Posted by: Matt at August 23, 2007 11:01 PMSee my next post.
Posted by: ryan at August 24, 2007 08:55 AM