Inmates running the asylum (and the demise of higher education)

Ronald Sullivan is a law professor at Harvard who also works as “Winthrop House faculty dean”—which, apparently, is an undergraduate residence hall at Harvard College.  Sullivan is quite an impressive guy.  He is the first African-American to have obtained this “faculty dean” title at Harvard.  (They used to call them “masters” but that was changed because it was insensitive or non-inclusive or in some way upset the students.)  Even more impressive, Sullivan makes quite an impact in the real world—a rare occurrence among modern law professors, most of whom have never or barely practiced law even before they entered the academy.  According to his bio: “Professor Sullivan, to be sure, spends the lion’s share of his work . . . in service of underserved communities around the country and world. In fact, the Huffington Post dubbed him ‘The Man Who Dealt the Biggest Blow to Mass Incarceration,’ noting that several media reported that Professor Sullivan won the release of more wrongfully incarcerated persons . . . than anyone in U.S. history.”

But apparently, that means nothing to the ignorant, but overconfident, “social justice warriors” who attend and apparently run Harvard.  These hypersensitive snowflakes have been triggered, are unable to function, and have reported feeling “unsafe” with Sullivan in charge of the residence hall.  What’s their gripe?  Does he get drunk and run through the halls uttering racial epithets or threatening people?  No.  In fact, it’s nothing remotely close to that.  Notwithstanding his (literally) unparalleled work freeing the falsely accused while simultaneously combating racism on multiple fronts, the precious cherubs at Harvard don’t like one of his current real-world clients who stands accused of sexual misconduct. 

Sullivan’s choice of clients caused a great uproar and led to the usual cries by students demanding the professor’s ouster—from his deanship, from his professorship, even from the planet earth.  At a supposedly enlightened place like Harvard, you’d think these self-centered monsters would know better.  Basic principles such as the presumption of innocence and due process for everyone should have foreclosed objections from all but the most uninformed undergraduates.

However, the educators at Harvard (and elsewhere) are in the business of catering to students’ every whim and demand.  (To get a real picture of how absurd things have become on college campuses—especially the so-called “elite” ones—read this short but excellent article about the state of higher education today.)  So instead of actually educating the students, a bureaucrat named Rakesh Khurana launched an “investigation” into the matter.  Of course, there was nothing to investigate.  He should have resolved the issue on the spot, instructing the triggered students as follows:

1. Every person accused of a crime—including each of you, if any one of you is ever so accused—is presumed innocent and entitled to due process of law.
2. Professor Sullivan’s representation of a client does not constitute an endorsement of the things that client is alleged to have done or said, regardless of whether the client’s alleged actions or statements are popular or unpopular with you.
3. It is not Professor Sullivan’s role, nor is he permitted, to prejudge his clients.
4. Our system of justice could not function if attorneys like Professor Sullivan did not take on unpopular clients.  For some of his previous work, see here.
5. Professor Sullivan and his client pose no threat to any of you, so there is no need for any of you to feel “unsafe” while on campus.    

But instead of teaching the students, Rakesh Khurana caved to them and their ignorant demands and did a tremendous disservice both to Sullivan and the inmates of the Harvard asylum.  Sullivan’s post will not be renewed, and he is effectively removed from his role as faculty dean of the residence hall.

Harvard is where our nation’s future leaders and professionals are supposedly being trained.  Rakesh Khurana's bio even claims that “[w]e want to ensure that we are providing students with a deeply transformative experience—intellectually, socially and personally—that will prepare them for a life of citizenship and leadership.”

Now, I understand that this is the typical word vomit that bureaucrats love to spout on about.  But if Rakesh Khurana takes his own words even somewhat seriously, then he and Harvard have completely and utterly failed not only their own asylum inmates, but also the citizenry those inmates are supposedly being trained to lead.