A Call to Investigate Faculty Involvement at Clio Hall

I am a frequent and sharp critic of President Eisgruber ’83 and his administration. That said, I highly commend the actions of President Eisgruber and his administration to summon the police to restore order at Clio Hall following its April 29 takeover by protestors. The University’s prompt and effective response here averted the development of an even more disruptive and dangerous situation. The delay and inaction at Columbia and UCLA, for example, resulted in the much longer occupation by protesters of Columbia’s landmark Hamilton Hall and the hours-long melee on UCLA’s campus. The boldly contrasting results at Princeton demonstrate the wisdom and resolve of Princeton’s leaders on the Clio Hall confrontation.      

Further, I call upon the University to investigate fully the self-admitted involvement of four University faculty members inside Clio Hall during the April 29 takeover. Professor Ruha Benjamin later asserted publicly that these four acted as mere “faculty observers.” But a contemporaneous announcement from the Clio Hall steps by protest supporter Professor Max Weiss (who did not enter) identified Benjamin by name as having “occupied this building.” President Eisgruber and his administration must resolutely enforce all University rules that this investigation may show to have been breached at Clio Hall.

I urge all interested Princetonians to review and join the full petition on these matters at http://tiny.cc/cliopetition.