Violence on Campus

Yale is foolishly and destructively making a meaningless gesture for ending violence while censoring artistic freedom. The university’s reaction is simply ridiculous. I expect a more meaningful response from higher education to what is — all agree — a serious issue. Yale’s position minimizes the real problem and belittles those who would genuinely like to address violence on campus in effective ways. From a social science perspective, I have to ask — does Yale have its hands on some data that links weapons in theater to violence on campus or are logical evidence-based decisions a thing of the past? What’s next, banning fake Twinkies in theater to curb obesity?

Sociologist With A Cape, at 7:00 am EDT on October 23, 2007

Empty Repertoire

I believe this applies to all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, and would render more than half of them farcical at best.

Jane Robbins, PhD, at 7:30 am EDT on April 23, 2007

I think the phrase “hoisted by her own petard” is perfect in this situation.

Bob, at 9:20 am EDT on April 23, 2007

whose bright idea was this?

“Used or portrayed.” Considering that just about all drama (including the equivalent of old chick flicks like “Romeo and Juliet”) involves some weapons, this is beyond silly. Perhaps a more sensible policy would be to limit the use of life ammunition in theatrical productions.

Larry, at 9:25 am EDT on April 23, 2007

Extreme Censorship Lunacy

The intellectual capacity and perversions demonstrated by Betty Trachtenberg in her position as an administrator speaks volumes about the non-educational environment that has been, or is being, created at our institutions of higher(?)learning.

I want to believe that by the time our young people have progressed to the competency level required to enroll at Yale, in this case, that they are quite capable of separating real life situations from the imagery displayed during a stage production.

What percentage of the audience were actually ‘poor’ little innocent overly impressionable undergraduates? What was the average age of the audience? What have their life experiences include? Is Betty Thrachtenberg qualified as a physiologist therefore able to make these determinations?

Ms Betty Thrachtenberg; while you have your head buried in the sand hiding from reality do not open your eyes, it can be painful.

John Lobenstein, Mr. at Common Sense School of Learning, at 10:40 am EDT on April 23, 2007

Trachtenberg Should Resign

Trachtenberg is playing the fool. This total disregard of academic freedom damages Yale. This reactionary policy weakens our institution’s good name and her absurd notion that state props propagate real-world violence makes a mockery of those of us who study the causes of violence.

Trachtenberg’s policy mirrors the stupidity of those who would arm all students and faculty as a solution to the crazed acts of an insane student.

JHC, Yale, at 12:41 pm EDT on April 23, 2007

If Leah Franqui Complies With The “Request” She Weakens Us All

Trachtenberg hasn’t demanded that director Franqui remove the handgun from her production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, instead she only “suggests” that she find another prop.

If Leah Franqui censors herself and complies with this suggestion, she will demonstrate to the world just how little Yale cares about academic freedom.

Oppressors like Trachtenberg are only empowered by those who comply with their suggestions. If Yale taught it’s students about academic freedom, they’d know to not comply—instead Yale is famous for not giving tenure to scholars like David Graeber and others who are punished for using their academic freedom.

Pat, at 1:25 pm EDT on April 23, 2007

Trachtenberg infantilizes the Arts

I attended a performance of “West Side Story” at the College of Marin (Kentfield, CA) back in the 90’s where one of the prop weapons, a blank-filled gun, which was aimed at Tony, the male lead, did not go off as planned. Instead, one of the quick-thinking drummers did a rim-shot…about 3 seconds too late; an admirable attempt, but one that also sent ripples of mirth throughout the audience. This was unfortunate as the whole drama — all of the fear, tension, love, beauty and power to be found in this tragedy, climaxes with that one shot and during this particular performance, that power was lost. Through the Arts, we have the opportunity to provide students with a safe place for emotional catharsis, to give them a darkened sanctuary where emotions can be felt and processed without fear of reprisal. The theatre has the potential to bring the individual into the moment of a shared experience, experiences that are often out of the realm of a person’s daily life. Unless a drama is specifically written, designed and crafted to utilize a symbolic imagery of inauthentic weaponry and wooden swords, such a mandate as Trachtenberg has given serves to infantilize the art form and the audience, robbing them of the possibility for catharsis. For it is when we are NOT given a refuge and an environment where our emotions can be felt without judgment and a haven where full emotional expression with protective boundaries is present — this is when we have wounded souls prone to implosion, and angry souls full of explosion set at large with emotional violence. The world of the theatre and the world of psychology and spirituality (not religion) are the few places where the whole human being is acceptable. By her misguided censorship, Dean Trachtenberg dis-empowers her student body and renders another arena of our world impotent to address the realities of humanity.

Drew VanDyche, Assistant to the Provost at JFK University, at 3:20 pm EDT on April 23, 2007

Stage Fright

Typical academic gun-phobic reaction. Where I live, it is fairly easy to get a hand gun permit. Fill out a form, pay $20, and you’re good to go.

I intend to carry my own weapon on campus, regardless of the rules. If a student had shot Cho after he had killed 5 people, do you think Va Tech would have punished him?

Student have 2nd amendment rights, too. This week, they may not want to bet their lives on campus cops.

arch, at 4:45 pm EDT on April 23, 2007

to last comment

Don’t worry, we’ve planned an “art-in” for later in the week. (This will include petition signing/doodling, juggling and flamenco guitar.)

DBeth, at 5:10 pm EDT on April 23, 2007

Yale is for cowards

What’s the matter with these faculty? Doesn’t anyone have TENURE at Yale? Don’t they have any standards of Academic Freedom? I’m at a third tier university and no administrator could get away with telling me to do this—and I wouldn’t even if they did. Why does Yale have such academic freedom whimps? Why did Sarah Holdren decide to whine to her audience instead of standing up for what is right?

What a let down.

Wilhelm Scream, at 5:15 am EDT on April 24, 2007

Hey, don’t be so harsh on the theater students so soon. When something like this is sprung on you without warning, it’s hard to know what to do; will rebellion mean risking losing performance space (already at a premium)? If the administration dares to take such a bold, foolish action, what might it try against dissenters?

The administration took several days after the shootings to announce this policy and it makes sense that it should take a few days for the student response to crystalize out. There is a definite sense of outrage, not only among theater students but among all those concerned with art or free speech; the groups are forming, the letters are being written, and the acts of protest are being organized.

So do not judge too harshly when a producer decides that less harm is done by voicing her objections but playing along than by making a fuss that could prevent her message being seen at all.

Lisa, student at Yale, at 5:20 am EDT on April 24, 2007

WHY I’M POMO NO MO

I’m a former Yale grad student who left in disgust two years ago. Everywhere I looked I saw an faculty and students who so embraced a form of postmodernsim that left them unable to take meaningful political action. They talked a good lefty critique, but when it was time for action they all had salons to attend.

This latest episode and the awful response of students and faculty shows exactly how out of touch with reality these clowns are.

They are getting what they deserve. I am sure they will write endless essays deconstructing what they have allowed happen to them, but they don’t have the skills or mindset to do anything about it.

Typical for Yale...

Lev, at 10:10 am EDT on April 24, 2007

Time for a Reality Check

I checked the calendar — it wasn’t April 1. I checked the URL — it wasn’t The Onion. I checked the dateline — it wasn’t Bizarro World (or even Massachusetts).

Unbelievable.

Yes, you bet this sort of thing undercuts the “movement for rational gun control” because that’s an oxymoron to begin with — all weapons control not based on individual due process is based on an irrational phobia. When you ask one of the “movement” leaders to name a ban that they feel goes beyond rational, they will refuse to answer.

When banning guns actually RAISED the violent crime level in England and Australia (the violent crime rate in England is now FIVE TIMES that of the US!), they added knives, swords, box cutters, toy weapons, and even glass mugs and bottles in pubs to the ban. None of it worked, of course, but when “rational” control inevitably fails its proponents are forced to travel farther and farther down the road of irrational control.

We thank the Yale staffers responsible for giving us a preview of where this lunacy ultimately leads. Consider it a valuable learning experience.

Henry Bowman, at 2:40 pm EDT on April 24, 2007

As always, administration seeks to ‘right’ wrongs it knows it cannot possible exercise control over in the real world by finding examples within its control. Again, as always, the administration act with fear and panic whilst the student show themselves to be the calm, clear minded, intelligent, thoughtful people the administration wants them to be.

mark, at 8:25 pm EDT on May 13, 2007