Is the criticism of Ohio University President Roderick McDavis the product of racism? Some members of OU's Caucus of Educators and Staff of African Descent think so. These McDavis supporters wrote a letter to the Board of Trustees responding to a previous letter critical of McDavis that a group of distinguished professors gave to the trustees. The caucus' letter condemns the distinguished faculty's letter for alleged inaccuracies and exaggerations. And it goes one step further, claiming the letter writers' disapproval of McDavis was motivated by racial bias.
I think that it is absurd to maintain that some of the stuff that's going on isn't a reflection of a fact that he is a man of color
and we as an institution on a very basic level have trouble with that Jessie Roberson, a professor and president of the caucus, said in an interview.
What is absurd is that the caucus resorted to playing the race card. This accusation needlessly polarizes the campus, literally making it a black-and-white issue. The label racist robs the debate of all nuances and overshadows the caucus's legitimate defenses of the president. The perception of racism is unfortunate though admittedly not implausible on such a non-diverse campus. And if there is a strain of bias in the widespread criticism, that is reprehensible.
The distinguished faculty letter included many criticisms of McDavis, some of which were deserved and others that were unwarranted. Roberson is absolutely right when he says, To lay that all on Dr. McDavis is just untrue.
The caucus could have made a perfectly legitimate counter-argument supporting McDavis by refuting the faculty letter point-by-point.
As dangerous and irresponsible an accusation of racism is, it sheds light on a broader problem at OU, particularly in how minorities perceive the campus. McDavis is trying to make the campus a more diverse place, a worthy ambition that has seen slow but perceptible progress. Still, the atmosphere is divisive enough for minorities that McDavis has become a point of identification for many black students and professors who have rallied to his defense.
Some minorities, though, do not perceive racism in criticism of McDavis. Vibert Cambridge, chair of the African American studies department and former president of the caucus, said he has observed a tradition of subtle racism at OU, but also noted, I would not venture to say that this is what is evident here.
And there remains little evidence to support the argument that criticism of McDavis is driven by his race. In the words of Gar Rothwell, distinguished professor and one of the first letter's authors, There is no racial component to competence. The accusation of racism might be an easy way to silence the critics, but it is not a productive contribution to this discussion.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the executive editors.
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Bringing race into debate polarizes campus; caucus should have refuted trusteesG
