Correspondence
Alumni for the Wofford Way has received more than 100 written responses regarding the way President Samhat, so-called progressive professors and others are pushing a radical Woke agenda at Wofford College. Below are some of the letters. More will be added as they come in. All but two are in support of our independent alumni group. We have opted not to disclose our correspondents names for privacy and security reasons:
Open Letter to Dr. Nayef Samhat, President of Wofford College
Please click below to read the full letter
Open Letter to Dr. Nayef Samhat, President of Wofford College
Dear Dr. Samhat,
I, as well as many Wofford alumni, applaud the current achievements of the Wofford students and the ongoing capital improvements occurring on campus.
We are also fully supportive in opposing all prejudiced attitudes, discriminatory actions, social injustice, and overt racism in any form against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, or gender.
Loyal Wofford alumni from all generations have always been at the forefront advocating and lobbying for civil rights legislation and supporting their communities’ collaborative efforts on addressing racism.
However, I do have a profound concern that Wofford has been heading in the wrong direction with a left turn into the danger lane of identity politics. These politically correct initiatives by the administration are generating more division than unity between the students, parents, faculty, alumni and the administration.
As America is becoming a more deeply divided nation due to the overblown ideology of racial politics, Wofford College appears to be succumbing to the lock-step momentum with the same critical race theory and cancel culture narratives that are relegating most liberal arts colleges to a group-think dogma of exposing students to a curriculum of race centric topics without equal exposure to balanced and opposing opinions.
As a decades-long supporter of Wofford College, it saddens me greatly to see the college that I dearly love being led down a path consumed with an ideology that stresses the polarization of racial inequities, but without equal offers of peace and reconciliation.
At four recent alumni meetings, you decreed that Wofford is not a racist college. That statement thus begs major questions :
If there is no racism at Wofford College, then why over the past several years have you expended so much time and enormous amounts of money devising multiple programs focusing on combatting racism that you say does not exist ?
If the students and faculty do not exhibit systemic racist attitudes, then why did the JEDI Committee double down on this anti-racist narrative through its 35 Recommendations that are replete with allegations of racial inequities throughout the campus and the curriculum ?
The political strategy behind Critical Race Theory is to create a divided population by focusing race conscious attention to our country’s past history of slavery, by promoting guilt feelings among white students, and by fostering distrust by black students.
Blaming a white Wofford freshman for the sins of slavery 150 years ago is no different from blaming a Japanese Wofford freshman for the sins of Pearl Harbor in 1941, or blaming a Muslim Wofford freshman for the sins of the 9/11 attack. None of these students deserve such unfair treatment due to historical actions of the past. Only through efforts of unity and compromise can a peaceful student body at Wofford be achieved.
A most compelling example of critical race theory at Wofford is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office’s recommended resources where different sections list over 150 readings on anti-racism, but almost no resources are listed offering students a balanced view of opposing authors.
Does one of the programs promoted as: “Racism 101 : An Anti-Racist Toolkit” sound like a balanced option for attempting to generate racial unity among the students ?
Do invited radical speakers such as Robin DiAngelo and commentaries by Ibram X. Kendi, “How To Be An Anti-Racist”, sound like attempts to build a race tolerant student community at Wofford ?
“ #BlackLivesMatter and #SayHerName: Social Media Testimony As A Political Tool” was available for review. Dr. Carol Swain, an African-American professor from Princeton and Vanderbilt, reports that “BLM is no longer a civil rights movement but a leftist political organization advancing a radical agenda that will be destructive to our country.”
Academic inequities at a liberal arts college occur where there is unequal opportunity for students to apply critical thinking concepts when they are not being uniformly exposed to both sides of an issue.
This generation of students is the most race tolerant young adults in the history of Wofford College, so why spend so much effort assuming that they are potential racists ? The anecdotal and sometimes anonymous testimonies from the #blackatwofford Instagram and on campus are not valid justification for the college to rationalize such disproportionally large expenditures of funds to remedy a problem that you claim does not exist.
Should these Wofford students’ parents who pay a premium tuition and have successfully taught their exceptionally bright children how to be race tolerant not be insulted by the subversive initiatives of re-educating their children on how to view the world after Wofford ? Should they be concerned that their children will be taught by faculty members who admittedly have preconceived attitudes on racial topics ?
Through the lens of white tower academicians, college leaders seem to forget that people of color in America have the greatest opportunities and the highest success rates than in any country in the world.
I refer you to the Alumni For The Wofford Way website ( alumniwoffordway.com ). Click the “Communications” box and read the critical letters from alumni and parents regarding their reactions to the critical race theory agenda at Wofford. These letters are anonymous but nonetheless alarming in their content.
Wofford is a Christian college whose traditional tenets and core values of Dr. Lewis Jones’ Wofford Way are grounded in resolving differences in divisive issues through open dialogue and efforts of forgiveness, respect, grace, and love. The assumed racial discord at Wofford will only be resolved through programs that do not result in student intimidation in the classroom and on campus.
The Chicago Principles of freedom of speech and expression seem to have convenient contradictory applications at Wofford College. Your President’s January 4th Message to the Wofford Staff, Faculty, and Students stated that:
“Wofford College does not restrict speech, which means Wofford does not command apologies or levy disciplinary consequences on faculty or student speech that remains within legal bounds or does not violate college policy.”
“Yet it is important to note that faculty do not speak on behalf of Wofford College.”
It appears that a double standard exists when the English Department Statement was publicly released last year on a Wofford College letterhead with unsubstantiated implications that the Wofford family were systemic racists. Parts of their Statement say:
“We reject efforts that seek to restore stability and maintain the status quo over seeking justice.”
“The college must facilitate healing on campus and in our community through real, measurable reparation and transformation – beginning with identifying and addressing systemic, long term and daily practices that perpetuate white supremacy.”
“Our concern about …. the cycle of racial violence on our students and colleagues at Wofford College is shared by other Wofford academic and administrative departments.”
None of the above statements have any evidential proof, and to the average citizen, those words were not opinions but stated factual allegations that impuned the moral integrity of the Wofford students, faculty, and alumni. With such irresponsible accusations, these statements may have gone beyond the “legal bounds” of free speech and violated “college policy”. Academic freedom does not protect false statements of fact from having “consequences”.
After four months last year of alumni requests for a retraction through private and open communications with your office and the Cabinet, you still refused to clarify the Statement as false and that the English Department was not speaking “on behalf of Wofford College”.
Compare that scenario with the issue following the December 2020 basketball victory over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers where a Wofford staff member posted a comical caricature of a Wofford basketball player holding two chicken legs with the statement, “FRIED”, a clever bit of lampoonery after defeating the Chanticleer rooster.
Following a student complaint of a perceived racial connotation of the picture, the post was removed that same night, and the next day, you issued a public Wofford News message personally apologizing for the “insensitivity and offensive nature of such a post on an official Wofford College account.”
Dr. Samhat, please tell us which post was more “insensitive and offensive” when used on an official Wofford College account. A parody photo involving a basketball victory or an egregiously racist English Department statement falsely accusing the Wofford alumni, faculty, and students of systemic racism ?
Many alumni recall that in 2017, approximately 250 alumni petitioned the college with objections that you made a personal public political statement criticizing President Trump’s executive order on banning Muslim entry into the United States. Regardless of anyone’s objections to that executive order or its conflict with Wofford’s values, the public still regarded such a statement by the President of Wofford as “speaking on behalf of Wofford College” and which essentially politicized the traditional political neutrality of our liberal arts college. Both liberal and conservative alumni believe that Wofford should maintain a non-partisan stance on political issues and allow open debate within its curriculum.
Such a public statement also could have had an effect on stifling any “free exchange of ideas” from faculty members and students who disagreed with a stated political opinion of the Wofford President and would think twice about openly opposing his political stances for fear of academic intimidation or retribution.
That same shoe fits the English faculty. What students are willing to openly disagree with a biased professor who controls their grades and letters of recommendations to graduate schools ?
Other examples of contradictions in the college’s definition of “free speech and expression” include the protests by the WARC students on the steps of the President’s home where students were screaming intimidating profanities in your face, but no disciplinary actions were taken due to the “free speech” policy of the college.
In contrast, a student was recently indicted for wearing a satirical Covid non-threatening t-shirt which said :
“The Chinese Government Ruined My Spring Break – 2020”.
This student, a Campus Union delegate, received demands from a few sensitive students to resign from Campus Union. He was brought before a Judicial Hearing Board, which took 2-3 months to convene, leaving this student’s reputation on campus in limbo. The student’s defense before a five-member panel of students, faculty, and administrative staffer was that he was within his 1st Amendment rights of freedom of speech and expression that was not personally intimidating to anyone. Nevertheless, the panel voted to ignore his freedom of speech rights and found him responsible for violating the Code of Student Rights. His ruling was somehow later overturned, but the personal damage to his character had been done.
In a fall Campus Union election, a freshman female running for a delegate position was vilified for her campaign signs by the #blackatwofford Instagram. A senior student leader criticized her in an Old Gold & Black article, and that freshman got no opportunity to defend herself before the election, which she lost.
These administrative approaches of condoning inconsistent disciplinary actions can be an empowering factor for certain students to take advantage of the lack of accountability for some students and strict discipline for other students.
The hyperbole of systemic racism seems to ring hollow when statements of an absence of racism at Wofford are proclaimed.
After reading through the JEDI Committee’s 35 Recommendations, it appears from the Opening Statement that the JEDI Committee was formed to primarily address the perceived racial inequities at Wofford. There are minimal Recommendations that relate to the financial inequities of students.
If you have declared that there are no racial inequities at Wofford, then why are all these objectives being supported by you for ongoing implementation in future years ?
In the spirit of transparency and fiscal responsibility, will you forward me a report with the estimated financial implications of each of the 35 Recommendations ? What is the job description and the total financial package for the newly formed Chief Equity Officer? Shareholders in private companies have access to their financial statements and budgets.
I will reference just a few of the most questionable Recommendations:
Recommendation # 10 – The Rationale states that : “The rates of “D” & “F” grades, Withdrawls, and Incompletes (DFWI) show inequities in opportunities and outcomes for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) students in a variety of majors.”
Where is the actual evidence that faculty members exhibit inequities in opportunities for BIPOC students ?
Do you know any Wofford faculty members who do not go out of their way to help promote the success of minority students ?
Differences in poor outcomes do not necessarily indicate discrimination or “inequities” by the faculty. Poor outcomes by students may be due to the fact that they are just not intellectually able to meet the academic rigor of our Wofford faculty. These struggling students should probably consider transferring to a less academically demanding college.
Would implying that there may be inequities in “course design, pedagogy, modes of student assessment, and pathways to and through the majors” not be a bit condescending to Wofford’s faculty members ?
Recommendation # 24 – “Establish a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion student fund that would assist in the continuation of anti-racism efforts on campus…”
If you claim that there is no racism at Wofford, why should there be funding for “continuation” of anti-racism efforts ?
Recommendation # 29 – “Create three annual awards for JEDI work. Awards to one faculty member, one staff member, and one student each year for JEDI work.”
“Awards comparable to the Covington and Milliken teaching awards.” Up to $15,000 for the three awards.
If racism does not exist at Wofford, isn’t it disingenuous to promote incentive awards that reward people to compete annually to advocate the best efforts against racial inequities at Wofford ?
Aren’t these anti-racist awards an insult to the past recipients and the legacy of the Covington and Milliken teaching awards ?
And these questionably “rationalized recommendations” go on and on with mostly unreported financial implications for the college. If racism and inequities do not exist at Wofford, could not most of this money be better spent on more positive initiatives that would benefit a larger section of Wofford’s students such as :
- More and larger stipends for the BIPOC Gold Scholars, the Bonner Scholars, the International Scholars, and the Wofford scholarship recipients.
- Larger salary increases for the Wofford faculty.
- Lowering the tuition costs at Wofford.
Considering all the good happenings at Wofford, and with your concession that racism does not exist on campus, why would you risk continuing to disenfranchise more students & parents, more faculty, and more alumni by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to further promote these misguided anti-racist JEDI programs ?
From a personal side, I have two grandchildren, one in Atlanta and one in Florence, applying to Wofford, and neither child has ever had any racist attitudes. Their parents believed in the principles of The Wofford Way, and their expectations are that Wofford will offer their children a more balanced and equal curriculum and not have to respond to biased programs such as the unscientific #blackatwofford Instagrams in their freshman FYI course.
Continuing this race-centric ideology is wrong for Wofford College, wrong for the students, and wrong for the long-term unity of our beloved alma mater.
Wofford College should be more independent than those colleges who are following the national narrative of imposing critical race theory on their students. Wofford should instead become a leader in swinging the pendulum back to the middle and disavowing such politically extremist views.
Dr. Samhat, thank you for your consideration for alternative attempts to heal exacerbating wounds with initiatives of leading thought toward more resilience and peaceful relationships.
Sincerely,
Carroll Player, DDS – ‘60
Florence, SC
Intaminatis Fulget Honoribus
Thank you for your work to save our college from the lunacy of the moment. And that’s what this effort is really about – saving the college.
How long can an institution survive if it aggressively alienates its alumni (including its most consequential benefactor since Ben Wofford) and expects parents to sacrifice nearly $300,000 to pay for four years of the intolerant, radical, leftist indoctrination that Wofford is providing instead of the exceptionally fine education on which its reputation was built? Not another 167 years, I suspect. Wofford is on track to produce graduates incapable of recognizing or achieving success in any meaningful sense, destined to flounder and fail in the real world. The market for such a college can’t be large or long-lasting.
There always have been and always will be liberal professors. God love them. Nobody expects anything else when they go to college. But to have them acting in concert to promote an agenda of thought-intolerance, revisionist history, and outright falsehoods is to allow them to endanger the institution. That goes beyond the bounds of expected faculty kookiness.
The affable, earnest, and ultra-liberal President Samhat and our weak-willed board have proven unworthy of the trust that alumni must have in them for the college to endure, much less thrive. This is not to suggest that they are helpless bystanders. My experience is that President Samhat and the board members who served on JEDI are very much in sync with the current trends.
The only hope is for some courageous souls on the board to bring the dreadful Samhat era to a merciful close, either through his forced resignation or termination, and find a worthy leader for the college in the model of a Joe Lesesne. We do not have a vote on the board, but we can vote with our checkbooks and express our opinions. So we must.
Thank you again for your crusade. Keep up the good work. Let’s hope we conquer and prevail.
Is there a list of members? Would like to consider joining.
Class of 1976. Look forward to learning more about your organization.
I applaud the efforts of this group and wholeheartedly agree with what WoffordWay supports and stands for….How does an alumni officially join this group and is financial support needed?
Has Wofford addressed a problem that didn’t exist or if so was minor to say the least.The CRT et al “problem” appears to be administrative made.To now have a not needed department which appears to lean towards equity rather than equality can only hope to spread misinformation. Perhaps a leadership change is warranted,one who is familiar with the long history of Wofford values.
I support all of the efforts of the Wofford Way. I graduated in 1977 and I agree with the comments made by your other supporters.
Please add my name to your list of supporters.
I am a ‘75 graduate of Wofford who is in full agreement with your mission.
How can I be added to your mailing list?
Thanks for your efforts
Pls keep up the good work.
Samhat needs to go.
We are behind this 100%!
Thanks for everyone’s efforts to save the school. God bless you and I hope it’s not too late.
My thought all along is the Trustees are responsible for the current situation at the school. Their role should be to approve the strategy developed and put forth by Samhat and then evaluate the administration’s execution of that strategy. Non-profit governance is especially challenging these days and many times Trustees are selected based on their ability to support the institution financially, rather than intellectual courage and relevant experience and track record of success. This is a problem in lots of non profit institutions. The result is an administration that is accountable to no one. They don’t need the support of the alumni anymore because of the government loans to students and private and public grants that are tied to the left wing agenda.
I don’t know what can be done to change this situation, but I think getting Trustees that will hold the administration accountable for traditional goals and values will get the college back on the right track.
All the best!
Glad to hear this message. I was beginning to think The Old Gold and Black was “gone with the wind.”
Never thought I would see our school go this hard left so quickly, and I appreciate your efforts to have a sounding board to resist this radical turn. I had sworn off any support to Wofford after seeing where our school was heading, and quite frankly embarrassed for my Granddaughter when she told me about her experiences as a freshman last year. (she has recently transferred to another school).
Thanks again!
I did not see on the website how to contribute to the cost of this organization. Please inform me as to this.
I applaud Hunter’s efforts in confronting the leftist Marxist agenda of the administration at Wofford. When they would not make the English Department retract the false and damaging statements about the college, I sadly felt that I needed to defund Wofford. Until there is a positive change in the leadership of the college, I recommend that all concerned alumni do likewise. Also, I believe many have already done so, but frankly I do not think the administration really cares.
I did not see on the website how to contribute to the cost of this organization. Please inform me as to this.
Thanks
I want to commend you on your efforts to on the issues being pushed by the administration, professors and members of the JEDI group. I am a graduate of the class of 1980 and would like to support your efforts.
Thanks
Class of 1964. Somehow contact by Alumni office was interrupted and attempts by me to update my info were also.
As a lifetime resident of Spartanburg, former Wofford supporter, and parent of an alumni I congratulate you on your efforts.
When will this craziness ever stop?
To Samhat: you might do well to consider Kipling’s counsel…Trust yourself when all men doubt you …but make allowances for their doubting too…
I attended the Alumni Luncheon with President Samhat last week, August 25, and was appalled to hear the double talk by Dr. Samhat about the Critical Race Theory controversies at Wofford. Dr. Samhat made a statement that there was no systemic racism at Wofford. An alumnus challenged him with the question that if there was no racism at Wofford, then why was he promoting so many JEDI programs that had emphasis on racial inequities?
Why does Dr.Samhat need a Chief Equity Officer if he claims there is no systemic racism at Wofford.
An African-American father near my table chastised Dr. Samhat for creating so much racial tension on campus. His Junior son only wants to have a good learning experience at Wofford and lead a normal social life.
The Wofford students I know in Columbia feel uncomfortable having to be subjected to so much biased pressure on racism.
The young alumni at the Luncheon were similarly critical of Dr. Samhat’s leadership. I was disappointed to see the Wofford President reject racism at Wofford yet continue to spend so much money on unneeded anti-racist programs.
I am an alumnus of Wofford, class of 1980. I completely agree with your perspective and support your efforts !
Being a student at Wofford 1961-62 ,I feel the Wofford culture and experience helped build the values that has contributed to my very blessed and successful life. These changes by the administration do not seem to be supporting the values and traditions that has made Wofford and the country great.
Loved the article in today’s paper. It hits home to the problem I have seen happening over the last few years. “WOCO to Woke” is the way I see it now. Keep up the good work. Class of 1971
Thank God for this group. I would like to join. Sign me up. I have a daughter at Wofford who is a senior and I am totally disgusted with President Samhat. I have contacted him about my concerns and he has totally blown me off. Sign me up for whatever you need. I am not sending my second daughter to Wofford next year and I have cancelled my season football tickets. I will no longer contribute another dime to Wofford until President Samhat and his woke flunkies are removed. I will do whatever else that is needed to help bring Wofford back to its senses. Thanks.
Please keep me posted on these issues. I’m deeply concerned about the direction of Wofford leadership.
Keep me posted! I was very disturbed by the letter the English department sent to some alumni awhile back and sent a reply to them and to President Samhat.
Thanks for setting up this website. Please keep me apprised of these disturbing developments.
Class of 1984. Loved the full page in the Post and Courier thank you and please keep me on any email list so that I can help.
As a proud Wofford graduate, I have always loved my continued association with my classmates, other Wofford graduates, and those who treasure their various associations with the school and its treasured past. I have long been impressed by the status that our small school has developed and maintained, not only in South Carolina, but throughout our great nation and the world.
I have treasured the freedom of expression and diversity of opinion that was allowed and encouraged during my years at Wofford. This ability to give one’s opinion and debate any issue was so ingrained in our activities that I didn’t truly appreciate this freedom at the time. I never considered the possibility that this might at some point not be an accepted part of the Wofford tradition.
Concerning “safe spaces,” I always felt that Wofford in its entirety was a safe and nurturing space. The faculty, staff, administration, and our fellow students all accepted this.
Concerning the issues of slavery and the plight of enslaved peoples from Moses to the African Negro to the sex slaves of today, we have dealt with this problem throughout the history of the world and, through each generation, worked to give more equity to every person on this planet to become all that he or she can attain.
As the morals and mores of the inhabitants of this earth have progressed and evolved, we have to be prudent in our rush to judge our forefathers. It is very easy to condemn our forebears by using standards that were either foreign to them or seemed unattainable given the nature of the society of time. In the study of our history, and particularly Wofford’s history, we must look with a constant eye on the times in which our ancestors lived. We must avoid the single-issue rush-to-judgment based on our newer understanding of our world.
Each new freshmen class of students must learn to be accepting of our rapidly changing world and take a lead in the inculcation of these changes. This does not mean that we should throw out our past or denigrate our past leaders. It does mean that we should empower those qualities that made Wofford a center of learning in the past and improve those areas that, in our new and ever changing world, can be modified and improved to better produce a graduate who both understands and appreciates those elements of Wofford’s tradition in a better, freer, and improving world.
Let me know how I can help. Class of 84′.
Thank you so much for publishing this ad in the paper. I agree completely with the stance you are taking and disagree with the way Pres. Samhat is steering the administration. As a Wofford grad, I look back at my 4 years and never felt there was ANY inequality demonstrated by professors, staff, the Greek system or athletics. We have embraced our history and learned from it. History is just that- history. It cannot be undone but we have learned from it. The Wofford Way had always been accepting of others regardless of color, religion, or sexual orientation. I, along with hundreds of other WC grads, love that my Wofford memories include friends of all the aforementioned.
The Wofford Way needs to live on for years and generations to come.
Time to instruct on HOW TO THINK AND CRITICALLY ANALYZE ( The Wofford Way ) and not indoctrinate! Wofford and its administration has lost its way and is being indoctrinated by outside forces without critical analysis. So sad. The school has had and continues to have equal opportunity. Equity is just a buzz word for socialism which leads directly to mediocrity. It kills ambition! It negatively effects the whole!
I find it amazing that the college trustees heard from certain students and faculty ( chosen by whom ?) but were screened from hearing from alumni on these JEDI demands. The concerned graduates are not old men fighting change, as one trustee alleges in an open letter, because we are against change. We want what is best for the long term health of an institution that prepares students for success in life!
Loved the article in the Post & Courier, and as my oldest son is beginning his college search now, Wofford is at the top of his list. If the JEDI principles you speak of in your article are pushed through and Samhat is still president of the college, we may encourage him to move down his list and go elsewhere. I am committed to not giving money to the school until Samhat is gone and the Wofford Way remains. The last thing Wofford needs is the “woke” nonsense that is rampant in our country right now.
I appreciated what you had to say in this Sunday’s Post & Courier. My wife & I have had many concerns as our son was a freshman last August.
Please keep us informed about these drastic & unnecessary changes being made at my alma mater.
Thank you for making The Wofford Alumni aware of these proposed radical changes. These changes are not in keeping with the history and foundational fabric of Wofford College. I am completely totally opposed to this non sense.
I am a 1979 graduate of Charleston Southern University. While I never attended Wofford College, I have friends, colleagues, and clients who did. I have never heard anything negative about their Wofford experiences, and all of these folks enjoy successful careers and are productive, contributing members of society.
I read your full-page piece in the July 25 edition of the Charleston News and Courier; I was astounded, and shared your message with friends, colleagues, and family. I applaud your efforts to overcome the insanity which is now lurking at the doorsteps of your fine institution as well as many other American institutions..
As a CPA, I can assure you that most people are very interested in what things cost. I would recommend that you continue to illuminate, with compelling clarity, what the specious “recommendations” made by the “JEDI” crowd will cost, in addition to their corrosive impacts on student morale, student recruitment, as well as your image with the public at large.
Finally, I would recommend that you reach out to all benefactors of Wofford, and, assuming concurrence, send the Board of Trustees a very clear and convincing warning that endowments will be cancelled unless this insanity is put to rest.
Always remember that the students and the alumni at Wofford have much more of an ownership stake in the college than educational bureaucrats.
I would be glad to help you folks any way I can.
Interesting quote from Carl Sagan’s book in 1995. Demon-Haunted World. “I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time — when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness. The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), the lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
I wish to thank everyone who has participated in crafting the many rational , logical responses to the ill considered recommendations from the Wofford College administration to the Board of Trustees for adoption . I hope your efforts have an effect in softening and/or blocking passage of these recommendations .
Any changes in the College`s academic standards ( e.g. abolition of standardized admission testing requirements , negotiation of grades between student and professor , etc. ) that would diminish academic rigor is abhorrent to me and would be taking the college in absolutely the wrong direction .
Further , I believe the suggestion that adoption of a significant number of the Administration`s recommendations will likely result in a drop-off in giving to the College , estate giving and otherwise .
Thanks again for the efforts of Alumni for the Wofford Way .
I’m a 1986 graduate of Wofford and agree 100% with the Which Way, Wofford article. I believe if these JEDI racist, Marxist, globalist recommendations are implemented, Wofford will implode from within. None of them reflect the founding values of the college of God, integrity, truth, hard work, perseverance and academic freedom. I am going to email the Trustees but if there is anything else I can do to support derailing these horrific recommendations, please let me know.
Dear Trustees,
I am writing to convey my complete agreement with the “Which Way, Wofford” article written by concerned alumni like me. If the JEDI recommendations are implemented, Wofford will implode from within. A college that focuses on infusing highly racist, Marxist, divisive nonsense into every aspect of the curriculum is unsustainable. Your president does not care about the future of Wofford students but only about money and his own personal, globalist agenda. You can either exhibit some courage and fight for the rights and well being of every student, or promote the goals of a president and a small group of students who will ruin Wofford. Wofford students will fail miserably in the real world should these recommendations move forward. Employers do not give handouts, there are no salary rewards for lack of productivity, and no participation trophies for being on the team.
Time to instruct on HOW TO THINK AND CRITICALLY ANALYZE ( The Wofford Way ) and not indoctrinate! Wofford and its administration has lost its way and is being indoctrinated by outside forces without critical analysis. So sad. The school has had and continues to have equal opportunity. Equity is just a buzz word for socialism which leads directly to mediocrity. It kills ambition! It negatively effects the whole!
I find it amazing that the college trustees heard from certain students and faculty ( chosen by whom ?) but were screened from hearing from alumni on these JEDI demands. The concerned graduates are not old men fighting change, as one trustee alleges in an open letter, because we are against change. We want what is best for the long term health of an institution that prepares students for success in life!
I wholly concur with the sentiments of these concerned alumni.
This entire push to indict our dear old alma mater as a systemically racist institution is based on a canard
and if not checked will result in irreversible changes that none of us will approve of and likely result in removal of financial support by many. I will assist your efforts in any way I can.
I’ve also forwarded your web site to several other life-long friends who are Terrier grads from the mid-70’s.
Hopefully, spreading the word will help stem this tide.
Thank you for all you are doing
I grew up around Wofford. My dad taught there for 44 years. He met my mother, a Converse student, when he taught her in a Biology class. I graduated in 1977, and met my wife who worked in the Admissions Office at Wofford. My daughter, my sister, and my niece are Wofford grads. I have known Wofford all my life. I know it to be an exceptional liberal arts college that has taught generations of students how to think. When I meet other Wofford grads, there is an instant bond. We understand the “Wofford Way”. I very much want to support Wofford, but cannot with the current leadership and the direction he is overseeing. I cannot endorse tearing apart the College I have loved my entire life, and the good names of the people my dad taught with, and those who taught me.
We all deserve an equal opportunity. We cannot guarantee an equal outcome. I believe we should help those less fortunate. A rising tide lifts all ships. Some of the finest people I have ever known…. of all colors… graduated from Wofford or worked at Wofford.
I will never understand this administration’ goals. I plead with the Board to not support this President, and to allow the Wofford Way to thrive once again for ALL students. Wofford is a shining star, and has provided immeasurable opportunity to students for decades. I feel she has lost her way, because of the crippling woke atmosphere the current President endorses. Let’s celebrate the good Wofford has done throughout it’s history, and welcome and nurture ALL who come to the campus now and in the future.
Proudly stands our Alma Mater
Dear Old Wofford Hail!!
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way,
I read with interest Which Way, Wofford? My husband and I recently concluded an 11 college road tour for our 17 year old daughter. On a college tour your student tour guide has about 2 hours to introduce and sell the intellectual and social merits of their college. At a few college tours our student tour guide tried to sell…. how woke THEY WERE. Wokeness replaces intellectual curiosity with feelings. Here is an example: at Sewanee, University of the South our student tour guide (who happened to be white) continually pointed out (while she should be selling the college!) that it was terrible that Sewanee wasn’t more diverse. The JEDI proposal for expensive new “buildings for students who feel threatened or marginalized” caters to feelings and will not add to a student’s Intellectual bandwidth or to critical thinking, . I wholeheartedly applaud and support the efforts of Alumni for the Wofford Way to uphold your institution’s character, intellect, wisdom, scholarship ect. in the formidable face of group think and how to feel. p.s. Our daughter no longer wants to apply to Sewanee (her 1st choice before our college tour). She is more interested in the academic rigor of a college, not how woke they are.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I applaud your work and the effort you have placed in opposing the marxist propaganda infecting Wofford through ‘wokeness’ and Critical Race Theory. Already in the early 2000s, when I attended and graduated, Wofford suffered from a body of progressive professors who reviled conservatives and Christians. I distinctly remember a specific professor lamenting that Wofford graduated pre-med / biology majors who believed that God created the world. The student body resisted, but the professors have successfully frogmarched the school to the left.
What we see today is the fruit of long labor destroying the values that made Wofford and this Country.
Years ago I instructed Wofford never to contact me again. I stand by that instruction, and the school does not have my current address. It may burn and fail without advertising the destruction to me.
I wish you luck. The Board, and therefore the school, will only understand raw power. And that will come from denied donations. When the endowment becomes large enough, the opinions of alumni will no longer matter. At that time the school will only care about what children it can attract and corrupt.
Deny the school both your dollars and your children. Get them a real education elsewhere, and invest in something that bears wholesome fruit.
Sincerely, RKM.
I read Dr Samhat’s recent letter regarding the Board of Trustees endorsement of the 30 JEDI demands. I was astounded that they would endorse them. I spoke with Tom Bowers (Trustee) about his impression of the meeting. He did not reflect in our conversation what Dr Samhat summarized in his letter. It appears that the Trustees and College leadership believe burying their heads in the sand and not confronting these issues will make them go away. This charade has convinced me to not contribute another dime to Wofford. I’m done.
I’m a member of the Class of 2004. My father, who was in the Class of 1966, told me about this site. I think the only way Wofford is going to listen is when it hits them in the bottom line. Major donors should pull their funding.
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
Why is this necessary? Wofford is (was?) a quality institution. Do we need WOKE contributors in order to pay our bills? Why are we compromising a quality institution?
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
I read with interest Which Way, Wofford? My husband and I recently concluded an 11 college road tour for our 17-year-old daughter. On a college tour the student guide has about 2 hours to introduce and sell the intellectual and social merits of his/her college. During a few of our tours the student guide tried to sell … How woke they were. Wokeness replaces intellectual curiosity with feelings. At Sewanee our guide continually pointed out that it was terrible that the university wasn’t more diverse. Wofford’s JEDI proposal for expensive new “buildings for students who feel threatened or marginalized” caters to feelings. It will not add to a student’s intellectual bandwidth or critical thinking. I wholeheartedly applaud and support the efforts of Alumni for the Wofford Way to uphold your institution’s character, intellect, wisdom, scholarship etc. in the formidable face of “group think” and how to feel. p.s. Our daughter no longer wants to apply to Sewanee (originally her 1st choice). She is more interested in the academic rigor of a college, not how woke it is.
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
Please, please, never use the head-hunting outfit that brought us all this wokism!
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
Please add me to your email list. I too am alarmed with the attempted radicalization of Wofford College. Thanks for your tremendous, factual, full page depiction of what our great country was founded on. It is refreshing that your organization still holds true to equal justice for all. I commend you and encourage others to speak out against this wave of “American Marxism”. Thank you all for having the brass to stand up to the steam-roller of
“wokeness”.
The last 10+ years have found parents struggling with justifying the outrageous tuition at institutions of higher learning and seeing their child strapped with a lifetime of debt … and now the very fabric of these institutions is being erased and distorted by those with an agenda often supported by outright lies. Kudos for speaking up and speaking out!
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
I read with interest the wonderfully written paid message called “Which Way Wofford” in the Charleston Post & Courier. It is so exciting and refreshing to me that someone is finally standing up to the social nonsense we are experiencing right now. Please keep up the fight. I’m saving the message as a model for doing just that. God bless you!
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
You should check into the sanctioning of a student over wearing a shirt that said “The Chinese Government Ruined My Spring Break.” If you ask around, you’ll find out about it. If you get truly stumped, let me know and I’ll help you.
(AWW Note: The student was accused of being a racist by certain minority students four months ago, and only recently was found guilty as charged. One of the jurors then changed his/her vote to make it a hung jury. The accused student’s freedom of speech obviously was violated, and after many months still has a cloud hanging over him and his record.)
I am a long-time employee of the college. What I know that you may not is that the administration is a complete disaster. Rather than face the music, we have hung our laurels on the serendipity of a major gift from a single donor. Do you consider THAT gift in particular to be the work of our president? The board has used that as a reason to declare the president a rousing success. He is quite the opposite of a success … and the long-term internal damage he has done to the college is irreparable. Staff and faculty morale couldn’t be worse. Departures of good people will continue.
While we may disagree on specific complaints, I and many of my colleagues find the administration reprehensible. They are self-serving, manipulative, dishonest and subversive … Many employees at the college work despite fear and mistrust of the president and the provost … The president routinely uses his office to intimidate some and marginalize others. He routinely interferes in campus processes, using pressure and duress rather than open opposition. Loyalty is the only thing that matters to him, not ability.
Wofford’s best people are either leaving, or are thinking about it, which is rare in this industry … The president has set a tone which celebrates opaque and behind-the-scenes decision-making. He is responsible for it … I think he had designs on going elsewhere, but COVID probably changed that. He has been here for 8 years already, longer than is normal … He is ill-equipped to deal with the issues that are emerging, and he has proven that he simply wants to waffle to try to please all audiences … You should consider paying for a survey. If you guarantee anonymity, and offer an outlet, the faculty and staff will tell you what they think about the administration, and it is not good. Ask for submissions of anonymous stories online, as you’ve done with these letters … Employees are afraid to talk. I’ve never seen Wofford this way.
Perhaps that’s why the college no longer does exit interviews…
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
I am a 1964 Wofford graduate. I know that my opinion is like a “nickel play in a dollar game” but if you are putting names in a pot of those of us against a proposal to “correct inequalities in opportunities and outcomes” please put mine in. When I came along, if you could not cut the mustard or did not like the school you transferred. Is that not still an option? Please let me know what I can do to help and thank you for taking the lead.
Dear Alumni for the Wofford Way:
I am a rising sophomore at Wofford College. My freshman year was interesting, to say the least. COVID was a big part of that but another thing that made my freshman year not so great was the push of the JEDI committee and the constant promotion of racial equality, diversity and how to be inclusive.
I recently came across the “Which Way, Wofford” message about the changes that the board might approve. I agree with the ideas presented wholeheartedly. I have only been at Wofford for one year so I do not have the knowledge of Wofford’s past, other than what I have heard from alumni I know personally. If there is anything I can do to help on my part as a student, please let me know. Thank you for taking the time to read this.