Saint Vincent College responds to racism claims following weekend lecture

Saint Vincent College this week denounced racism in the aftermath of a symposium held on the Unity campus last weekend that drew criticism of comments from a speaker who suggested Vice President Kamala Harris ascended to her job only because she is Black.

Nine lectures were part of a two-day program sponsored by the college’s Center for Political and Economic Thought titled “Politics, Policy and Panic: Governing in Times of Crisis.” Topics ranged from discussions about coronavirus-related policies, economic impacts of the pandemic and racial division.

Speakers included Dr. Scott Atlas, a member of former President Trump’s coronavirus response team, and Brownstone Institute President Jeffrey Tucker, whose anti-masking position was featured in conservative media throughout the pandemic.

But it was an hourlong speech on April 8 from David Azerrad, an assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., that drew the ire of students and alumni. Azerrad’s speech was titled “Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria in Contemporary America.” The first 12 minutes of his talk appeared in an online video posted to YouTube.

Gary Quinlivan, dean of Saint Vincent’s Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government and one of the lecture’s organizers, said Thursday he regretted Azerrad’s appearance.

“It made me cringe,” Quinlivan said. “After the first few minutes, I could tell, ‘Oh no, this is not going to go over well.’ This guy’s lecture doesn’t typify Saint Vincent College. If we had knowledge of the depth this guy was going to, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Quinlivan said the video that circulated online this week contained only the first quarter of Azerrad’s speech and did not include his general thesis that supports a “colorblind society.” The video also excluded a followup discussion among Azerrad and students, he said.

Azerrad could not be reached for comment.

The Tribune-Review is not quoting what Azerrad said in his appearance. In the portion of the video posted online, Azerrad essentially states that white privilege is a myth and that Blacks are the race with privilege in America.

Quinlivan said school officials plan to release a video of Azerrad’s complete lecture next week.

Community response came quick over the next several days, critical of subject matter and charges of racism involving Azerrad’s talk.

On Thursday, the Rev. Paul Taylor, president of Saint Vincent College, issued a lengthy statement that denounced racism but did not address the lecture series or any specifics from last weekend’s speeches.

“There is no place at Saint Vincent for racism or discrimination of any kind,” Taylor wrote.

Bibiana Boerio, a member of Saint Vincent’s board of trustees, attended the lectures and said she was outraged at what she heard from Azerrad and was disappointed the college didn’t include other perspectives.

She defended the concept of free speech on college campuses and the presentation of politically diverse points of view, but she suggested lectures such as Azerrad’s should be challenged.

“I believe it is important for colleges to be places where difficult topics are discussed and complexities of modern life can be considered. However, in my view, this conference did not meet those objectives. There was only one extreme perspective presented,” Boerio said.

She called Azerrad’s lecture disrespectful, disparaging and condescending and said he “engaged in rage-inducing extreme speech.”

Boerio praised students for challenging Azerrad at the conclusion of his talk.

“To their credit, the students waited him out. In their questions, they tried to give him a different perspective, but he became defensive, denying their experiences while he returned to his position,” Boerio said.

Alex Morey, who directs the defense program at Philadelphia’s Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said her organization is keeping a watchful eye on what happened last weekend at Saint Vincent College. Morey said the nonpartisan organization believes private schools, including religious institutions, sign on to accreditations often requiring them to uphold academic speech freedom.

“We often see the accreditation that requires free speech that the schools sign on for. But when someone controversial is brought in to speak, a student may get called into the college president’s office or the administrator who brought them in is institutionally punished or they said they will censor,” Morey said. “That’s when we step in.”

After days of criticism, Quinlivan this week issued his own statement denouncing Azerrad’s lecture.

“Saint Vincent does not endorse the promulgation of any point of view which may be interpreted as a form of invidious discrimination which inherently degrades the sanctity of human life. We are an institution which has served our community for over 175 years, and, in that time, we know that the country has struggled to overcome systemic bigotry against many people,” Quinlivan wrote.

“But while we invite the responsible presentation of viewpoints regardless of whether they are currently popular, and seek to provide an opportunity for critical appraisal and the formation of refined views by those who find good faith disagreement with them, we will never endorse the message of anyone who deprecates the struggle of those who have been victimized by bigotry. In this case, the speaker’s presentation was not consistent with the Benedictine values of hospitality and respect for all people. We regret that it was presented at this forum.”