The contention over President Wagner’s comments praising the Three-Fifths Compromise in the winter 2013 edition of Emory Magazine has partially subsided. We can all agree that his statement was insensitive, misguided and detrimental to the Emory community.
President Wagner’s comments also lacked historical perspective. As a United States history major with a particular interest in the civil rights movement and the struggle for African-American equality, I was stunned that President Wagner would reference the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise, a stain on the nation and the cause of the bloodiest war in American history, to advocate for compromise and inclusiveness. President Wagner’s comments brought national shame to the University at a time in which the spotlight should have been on the opening of the archives of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Emory’s commitment to advancing social justice.
I was there on that moving evening of the opening of the SCLC exhibit and heard veteran civil rights leaders like John Lewis, Bernard LaFayette and Dorothy Cotton recount their experiences during the watershed 1950s and 1960s years and the continued struggle for African-American equality across the nation. It was an emotional night and one that I’ll remember for a long time.
I also heard President Wagner’s speech that evening. He entered the exhibit with Congressman Lewis and proceeded to stand up and address the audience amid student and faculty demonstration calling for his resignation.
His remarks were brief, but I saw a man who was deeply remorseful and humbled by the humiliation that he had brought on his university.
He commemorated the civil rights heroes who dedicated their lives to the cause of social justice.
Pledging to learn and grow from his mistakes, President Wagner apologized to the audience for his divisive comments.
Although I may not always agree with President Wagner and have been critical of the cuts to the journalism program and the economics department under his tenure, I signed the online petition to keep him. I was also encouraged by the Emory faculty’s recent decision to reject the “no confidence” motion.
We must take a step back and remember that all of us, students, faculty and even presidents of universities, make mistakes.
One ill-advised comment should not overshadow the success President Wagner has enjoyed at Emory and the strides the university has made under his leadership.
I believe President Wagner has shown genuine contrition, and I have been impressed by his response to make amends for his blunder and to help the Emory community heal and move forward.
During this tumultuous time at Emory, the student body and the faculty need to come together to reaffirm the values that make Emory such a wonderful institution.
Meaningful discussion and debate is required, but pointing the blame at one individual causes division within the community and fails to lead to effective solutions.
We can only move forward by acknowledging our mistakes and striving to learn from them.
President Wagner deserves the chance to be a part of the effort.
Nathaniel Meyersohn is a College sophomore from New York City.
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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“One ill-advised comment should not overshadow the success President Wagner has enjoyed at Emory and the strides the university has made under his leadership.”
Nathaniel, what do you say to the fact that Wagner’s essay, in addition to being problematic in all the ways you outline above, was also *about* the cuts – and that to follow his analogy he was asking people to compromise over those cuts to the liberal arts?
Also, as laudable as your zeal to forgive is, I think you shouldn’t minimize what Wagner did by describing it as a “comment” – he wrote a 750 word essay, had it vetted by multiple staff members, and then made it available in a magazine that went out to 115K subscribers. This is bit more than an offhanded gaffe or faux pas, no? We may have to live with Wagner for at least a little bit more, but we shouldn’t minimize or mischaracterize what’s happened on campus or his article.
Raoul,
Your side lost the vote. Get over it! Your views are not in the majority. Move to Cuba if you want to see a leftist administration at work!
Raoul,
Thanks for your feedback.
As someone who comes from a family of journalists, I was particularly dismayed over the cuts to the journalism program. It’s a great department and they have some wonderful professors over there. I strongly disagree with Dean Forman and the administration’s decision to cut the program and can only imagine how I would feel if there were cuts to my beloved history department. I don’t think nearly enough emphasis is paid to the liberal arts here at Emory and the recent cuts are just one example of the trend toward pre-professional schools and the absence of traditional liberal arts values.
My article had less to do with the cuts and more to do with President Wagner’s response to his statements in the Emory magazine. President Wagner, along with a host of people who vetted the article and allowed it to be published, deserve the heavy criticism that they have received. Like I said in the article, the statement brought shame to the University and I don’t mean to minimize or mischaracterize the statement in any way. That being said, President Wagner has handled the backlash admirably and has taken full responsibility for his mistakes. He’s pledged to learn from them and I think that’s a step in the right direction. As a community, we need to move forward and make sure that something like this never happens again here at Emory.
It is not reflective of reality to separate the 3/5’s comments by Wagner and the cuts to Emory liberal arts programs. In Wagner’s 3/5’s essay he referenced the cuts in the context of compromise… Wagner played a key role in the cuts to the departments, he is the president of the university.
You cannot dismiss the history and the context of the situation with President Wanger… His past actions matter. His role in the cuts manner. His consistent role in marginalizing student and faculty voices matters.
“One ill-advised comment should not overshadow the success President Wagner has enjoyed…” No, it just confirms a pattern of being out-of-touch, engaging in exclusionary, top-down management, avoiding responsibility for unacceptable conditions for Emory workers, intolerance for peaceful student dissent, and just straight up being incompetent – which is the message we got from Bain & Company educational consultants this February, by the way.
What were the results of the “Bain & Company” report? Not familiar with it.
You can find Jeff Denneen’s report entitled “The Financially Stable University” and watch a video of his presentation here: http://www.senate.emory.edu/home/lecture_series/index.html
Jeff Denneen was mentioned in today’s NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/many-colleges-and-universities-face-financial-problems.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
Really Nathaniel?
You mentioned Wagner’s lack of historical perspective regarding his 3/5’s remarks… History also matters regarding the situation around Wagner as the president of Emory University. Wagner’s tenure at the helm of Emory University has been a case study of dictatorial policies that exclude the viewpoints of students, faculty and staff at the university. Wagner has managed the school as a corporation. Money and power certainly trump the quest for knowledge, inquiry, deeper thought at President Wagner’s kingdom.
I can’t tell if you really mean what you wrote… Or if you are trying to climb the social ladder.
Emory sends congratulations emails to applicants that they didn’t admit. Another example of the great work that Emory’s administration does.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1487297-help-got-weird-email.html