Princeton Open Campus Coalition says ‘thank you’ for Woodrow Wilson announcement
They opposed last semester’s protests
The Princeton Open Campus Coalition has responded to the university’s announcement that the Woodrow Wilson School will not be renamed after months of discussion.
The group, which was founded last November amid the Woodrow Wilson protests, thanked Princeton for not becoming one of what they call the “colleges who have bowed to the demands of those who feel offended and hurl accusations of racism”.
POCC were opposed to many of the demands which brought about the protests in November, culminating in the sit-in in President Eisgruber’s office.
Their full statement is below.
The POCC last semester
The Princeton Open Campus Coalition is excited to announce that the University Trustees will NOT be renaming the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs or Wilson College. Unlike too many colleges who have bowed to the demands of those who feel offended and hurl accusations of racism, Princeton has, with poise and nuance, showed respect for its mission, its principles, and its students.
The Trustees have called for “a renewed and expanded commitment to diversity and inclusion at Princeton.” We welcome this effort, and consider it imperative that intellectual diversity join traits like racial background, religion, and socioeconomic status as a criterion by which we create the faculty and student body in this melting pot campus we call home.
We thank the University for soliciting and listening to input from students, faculty, alumni, and all members of the Princeton community. Princeton values an academic atmosphere in which rigorous and civilized debate improves the intellectual experience of all. Students and professors must feel comfortable inserting their views into the campus conversation, especially underrepresented views which expand our thinking in a way that consensus cannot. As with all topics, we welcome continued debate on this issue.
And to all of our supporters who helped share our message with no fewer than hundreds of thousands of people across the country, we owe you a tremendous debt. We could not keep up this fight without you. Thank you!
More to follow.