Faculty teach—and even implore—students to think critically and to avoid sweeping claims that are unwarranted, based on premature information, or rooted in personal animus. To that end, I find it naive and even sophomoric for anyone to assert that President Jay Bernhardt is to be blamed for—among other irrational conclusions—1) Emerson’s global reputation decline, 2) low enrollment trends, 3) the arrests of protesters who were violating city laws (interestingly, we saw some faculty fleeing, escaping their own arrests), and 4) an “atmosphere of oppression” (“Letter: It’s time for Jay to go,” Oct. 17).
Seriously!?! The guy has been here less than 18 months!
Before concluding that Bernhardt “should go,” critical thinkers should have acknowledged the verified ethical lapses and wrongdoings pertaining to families literally running from protesters during spring campus tours OR colleagues who continue to politicize their classrooms with anti-Semitic rants OR agitators who possess a profound level of ignorance related to shepherding campus decision-making in 2024.
With apologies to the late, great Civil Rights leader, John Lewis: None of this is “good and necessary trouble.”
These days, campus scapegoating takes enormous negative energy. But, like hundreds of other professors—who (unlike me) can’t/won’t speak out because they are not tenured or full professors—I’m busy working on my course content, sustaining classroom standards, completing another book, and participating in committee work. Still, as a former president of the National Communication Association, I can’t ever envision speaking out on any provocative topic without first being informed with accurate, objective, and relevant information. Finger pointers are encouraged to consult the NCA website for resources on ethical dialogues.
Most importantly, however, to our students: Please know that despite a distinct minority of vocal faculty, unfounded vitriol by any campus “leader” should not be considered normal, particularly if it is aligned with a Trumpian sense of distrust and embedded innuendo. The VAST majority of your professors work hard by eschewing ad hominem attacks and remain committed to engaged, rigorous, and practical classroom experiences.
Rich West is a full-time professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Emerson.
Thank you Professor West for bringing compassion, reason, and truth to this discussion. I implore other professors (including Doug Struck, Vinicius Navarro, John Gianvito and Nigel Gibson, the authors of “Letter: It’s time for Jay to go”) to take note!
And for those professors attempting to exploit their positions of authority to influence their students on controversial subjects, I implore you read the following from a professor at Washington University in St. Louis: https://www.studlife.com/forum/2024/09/18/opinion-submission-students-dont-need-faculty-to-inform-their-political-convictions.
Current Emerson Student here…i’m also jewish. I would love to know who “current critical thinkers” refers to, as you always taught us in class that students should cite evidence to support their arguments and this is a bit vague. God forbid people critique the leader of our school that has done nothing but upset people. But you know a thing or two about upsetting students of course. Thanks for your opinion supported by these elusive “critical thinkers”.
THANK YOU!!!
“I’m busy working on my course content, sustaining classroom standards, completing another book, and participating in committee work.” Nice not at all humble brag there Rich! Since the ethos of your opinion is so subtly grounded in your role as a professor at Emerson let’s examine some of the highlights from your “Rate My Professor” page:
“I don’t think taking his class will greatly improve your professional field. On the contrary, it will hurt your body and mind.”
“He was so unapproachable and truly doesn’t care about his students, just his own reputation.”
“Lots of students have a negative experience with him but don’t report it because a. They want to wait until the class is over to prevent backlash b. He’s good friends with the communications department chair and nothing will happen.”
“Richard West is a professor who enjoys belittling and ridiculing his students over minuscule errors”
18 months of bad is enough. He’s not fit for leadership. Time to cut our losses.
Thank you for this letter, Professor West. It was unclear in the beginning, and even up to the police breaking up the encampment, what was really going on, and Jay Bernhardt was an easy scapegoat at the time. Students were hurt, and we all wanted to blame someone. But over the summer, when the same kinds of over-the-line activism showed up at other colleges with similar results, it became clear that pro-Palestine organizers were encouraging students to cross lines expressly for the intention of provoking a reaction from college that could then be framed as “repression of students.” Professor West is also correct that faculty and students are afraid to speak publicly because the response is often what we see below from “Lucy” – if an anti-Israel extremist doesn’t like what someone is saying, they will search for a way to attack the person personally that may have nothing to do with anything they’ve even said. That is enough of a deterrent for most of us. So I applaud the bravery of this letter. Most folks I know are in the very expansive middle of the road on this issue. It’s a complicated situation, and Jay Bernhardt obviously didn’t come to Emerson College because he wanted to aid a genocide. Student protestors (obviously organized from the outside) were prepared to protest him before he was even inaugurated; it was about whoever was in his office, not him. Let’s get honest with each other if it’s not too late.
I , honestly and wholeheartedly , think and believe that Dr. Richard West is so-called “ Last True Educator and Scholar” in all aspects and in all dimensions. Besides his substantial knowledge about Communication studies and Research Methods” , he constantly updates his pedagogical skills to make the subject more interesting, more intellectually stimulating, and livelier. I was fortunate enough to observe one of his graduate courses a year ago. I was totally mesmerized by his passion, enthusiasm, and conscious efforts to create a non threatening class atmosphere. He is , by definition, “ Real McCoy” in the discipline of Communication Studies. Bar none! The College is truly lucky enough to have Richard West. Put simply, he is a very credible man, and has revolutionized the world of Communication Studies. He needs to be cherished , not criticized.
Eiki Satake
Full Professor of Statistics and Mathematics
Marlborough Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
All I want for Christmas is the ability to stop worrying about Jay’s next email.
Just the facts, no POV:
It was Mayor Wu who sent in the police on that unfortunate night and they were Boston police, not campus police.
Sudan is currently the worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN and many humanitarian agencies.
A “million dollar home” in Boston is a 2- bedroom condo that needs updating.
Hi Alum. Let’s correct a couple of assertions here. Boston Police were responsible for the mass arrests which were ordered by Mayor Wu.
The “worst current humanitarian crisis” is in Sudan.
A million dollars doesn’t get you much of a luxury home in Boston.