(April 11) The Campus: "PC seen as threat"
This op/ed is written in defense of Daniel O'Neil's article in the March 14 edition of the Campus. This article specifically addresses the legitimacy of the college's new sexual harassment policy which prohibited "negative comments concerning sexual orientation." Upham labels this policy as "extremist" because it "prohibits the expression of the religious tenets of Roman Catholicism and of religions that regard homosexual acts as immoral" and "prohibits the free discussion of a major question in psychology." Note that there was already psychological consensus that homosexuality was not a possible diagnosis or mental disorder (Search: (April 18) The Campus: "Correcting Upham"). Upham believes the new policy is "coercion of the mind" and that it is an attempt to "coerce" rather than "persuade" those who don't agree with PC ideas. He concludes by stating that all who care about intellectual freedom and the free exchange of ideas in an educational institution, "must resist the tendencies of the current phenomenon known as political correctness." Here is the article from The Campus' archives, as well as photos of the article as it was originally printed.
David Upham
April 11, 1991
(March 21) The Campus: "PC does not exist at Middlebury"
This op/ed is a direct response to Daniel O'Neil's article a week prior on March 14. This article says that though political correctness can be problematic, there is no point to O'Neil's op/ed, as PC does not exist at Middlebury. Ryan and Stillinger point to O'Neil's own words about the SGA rejecting a possibly mandatory "Cherishing the Earth" course, to show that the student body clearly does not consider itself to be PC. They further push back on O'Neil's "dangerous" opinions, saying "The label of PC at Middlebury provides a convenient escape from the very real issues of sexism, racism, elitism, and other “perceived” social inequities" ("perceived" is a quote from O'Neil's article). Finally, they defend the faculty who they say are as much a part of the Middlebury community as the students, though they were criticized harshly in O'Neil's article. Ryan and Stillinger condemn O'Neil's argument that PC limits diversity of thought and speech, "In the future, if Mr. O’Neil would like to glorify fascism, please do not masquerade it under the cloak of diversity. Silence equals death." Here is the article from The Campus' archives, as well as photos of the article as it was originally printed.
Melissa Ryan and Cynthia Stillinger
March 21, 1991