The Disgrace at Beloit College

Not long ago, the political science department at Beloit College posted the following job opening:

College of Liberal Arts, Department of Political Science, Tenure-Track Position Opening

POSITION: Assistant Professor of Political Science (Political Theory)

Beloit College, a selective liberal arts college with a proud tradition of innovation, seeks an energetic teacher-scholar for a replacement position of five courses per year. The successful candidate will be responsible for introductory courses in political theory and US government, and for upper-level courses in the history of political theory, American political thought, and constitutional law. Ability to approach these courses from critical perspectives is a plus.We prefer candidates with a desire to collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines, and who develop pedagogical approaches that foster creativity and apply theoretical knowledge to address real problems such as institutionalized racism.

Because equity and inclusion are central to our students’ liberal arts education and vital to the thriving of all members of our residential learning community, Beloit College aspires to be an actively anti-racist institution.

Boy, I am glad Beloit clarified things with that last statement, because I was deeply worried that Beloit College was a hotbed of white supremacy.

So I guess given Beloit’s intense interest in virtue-signalling, we shouldn’t be surprised to see this story:

Speaker invited by Young Americans for Freedom sparks controversy

The appearance of political philosopher Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. at Beloit College on Friday, April 6, stirred controversy among Beloit students who object to Dr. Mansfield’s views regarding gender and sexuality.

Mansfield, 86, is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught for over 50 years. His lecture on Friday highlighted his 2006 book Manliness, in which he defines manliness as “confidence in a situation of risk.” The book suggests that this quality has lost value in Western culture, and claims that innate differences exist between men and women which adhere to Western society’s traditional perceptions of masculinity and femininity. . .

Several audience members booed Mansfield as he took the stage, and some heckled him throughout his talk. After Mansfield said that women are innately weaker than their husbands, Reese Iafano’18 stood and yelled, “Who the fuck is paying you to be here?” Iafano was asked to leave by the security guard present, and he obliged. Mansfield did not acknowledge most of the interruptions.

Now, the amusing thing here is that I hosted Mansfield at Berkeley last month, and there was no fuss—even when he said in his remarks that “The Democratic Party is a coalition of PhDs and morons.” And in the course of my introduction, I did mention that I have oft been tempted to walk through all the student activist tables on Sproul Plaza with a copy of Manliness tucked under my arm, just to see what might happen. (Some other time I’ll explain why I think the problem of leftist intellectual conformity is actually much more severe at private liberal arts colleges than it is at storied public universities like Berkeley, Boulder, or Ohio State.)

Memo to Power Line readers who may be Beloit alums: Send a stiff note to the administration informing them that you will henceforth decline to make any financial contributions to the college.

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