RUTHFULLY YOURS

If you thought that the modern campus was a warren of safe spaces, radical politics, and neutered learning, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Here’s a statement by 315 college deans hot and fresh off the Harvard site about their priorities for incoming students.

This statement was developed in collaboration with admissions leaders and has been endorsed by leaders at more than 315 institutions across the United States. It describes what college admissions offices value and expect—and don’t expect—from students during the pandemic.

I’ll just give you the bullet points to show off the new normal.

1. Self-care

2. Academic work

3. Service and contributions to others.

4. Family contributions.

5. Extracurricular and summer activities.

Of the 5 points, only one has anything to do with the actual purpose of a college. And it’s minimized and in second place.

2. Academic work. Your academic engagement and work during this time matters to us, but given the circumstances of many families, we recognize that you may face obstacles to academic work. We will assess your academic achievements in the context of these obstacles.

First place is about maintaining your safe spaces.

Self-care is of high importance, especially in times of crisis. …We also recognize that this time is stressful and demanding for a wide range of students for many different reasons. We encourage all students to be gentle with themselves during this time.

Gentle with themselves? Self-care has gone from social justice Tumblr to mainstream discourse.

The priority however is on lefty activism.

We also value forms of contribution that are unrelated to this pandemic, such as working to register voters, protect the environment, combat racial injustice and inequities or stop online harassment among peers.

In short, what we value is lefty advocacy. Conservative students protesting against abortion need not apply.

This follows up the 2019 Turning the Tide letter which called for jettisoning the usual admissions standards and focusing on a bunch of social justice buzzwords.

The culmination of this project will be to transform the campus into a total incubator for lefty activism with no room for anyone else.

Turning the Tide underscored that what’s important in college admissions is not long brag sheets of accomplishments but meaningful engagement in learning and meaningful ethical engagement, especially concern for others and the common good. Turning the Tide also promoted a variety of steps for increasing equity and access for underrepresented students

The academic value of an education is about to hit zero as it shifts to the “common good”.

And, a good rule of thumb, whenever you hear common good, run the other way because it means ideological totalitarianism.