Update: Babson College alum calls for students’ expulsion in wake of incident at Wellesley College
UPDATE: 12/13/16: Latest reports on post-election Wellesley College-Babson controversy focus on hearsay
UPDATE, 11/11/16:
A Babson College 2015 alum has written a letter to Babson College President Kerry Healey and the Babson Board of Trustees calling for the immediate expulsion of the two Babson College students who drove a pick-up truck around the Wellesley College campus the day after the election, waving a Trump flag. He has started an online petition seeking support for his demand. So far over 1,200 have signed the petition.
In his letter he notes that one of the students is a relation to a donor whose name graces one of the campus buildings.
Here’s our original post on the matter:
We posted earlier this week about a couple of obnoxious Babson students who reportedly drove a pick-up truck around the Wellesley College campus the day after the election, waving a Trump flag, and were asked to leave the campus. A public Facebook post about the incident has been shared more than 5,000 times, and The Boston Globe has picked up the story as well.
Since the incident the students have been kicked out of their fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and both students (or their PR reps…) have issued apologies on their Facebook pages here and here in which they deny spitting at anyone or using any slurs or curses. Sig Ep national says it considers the incident a blow to its aspirations for diversity and inclusion. The organization has, in fact, taken serious steps in the past when its membership has exhibited behavior that suggests an essential corruptness among the brotherhood.
Wellesley College President Dr. Paula Johnson commented on the incident in a letter to the college saying “This community’s well-being—and all that word encompasses—is foremost on my mind right now. Let me assure you of that…I’ve asked Chief Barbin to update me regularly as she continues to collect the facts, and I have full confidence in her and in the investigation.”
In his letter to Babson students, Lawrence P. Ward, the vice president of student affairs at Babson, said his school is working with Wellesley College public safety officials on the matter. The two male students could face discipline under the student code of conduct.
In a statement released Thursday, Babson College President Kerry Healey denounced the students’ actions: “As a community that both values and stands for civility, respect, diversity and inclusiveness, the behavior we are learning about is of serious concern,’’ Healey said. “It is not in keeping with the high standards to which we hold ourselves as members of the Babson community and certainly is in no way a reflection of the integrity of Babson students, generally.’’
At least there’s always Platform 9 3/4 if Wellesley College students ever feel like they have just got to get out of here. But the smart money says the Hermiones of this world will never be pushed off their own campus by invading Malfoys, no matter how e.nticing the world of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley sounds right about now.
