How to Handle a Despised Speaker at a University
How to Handle a Despised Speaker at a University
Advice for the President, Administrators, and Students at George Mason University and Beyond
Disingenuousness plagues modern organizations. You’ll notice celebrations of a heritage month with nary a comment on long standing inequities.
Take Black History Month in February. Turn on a television and for a few weeks, you find all-Black correspondents or evenly balanced panels. You notice Black employees, artists, and government officials highlighted in social media postings. Apple jumped into the fray…
Where will it be hard to find Black voices? On the senior executive board.
Did Apple do better a week later when Women’s History Month started?
Not exactly. Sure, they had devices highlighting women and Women in Power sessions at Apple Stores. But…no mention of the sizeable lack of women employees, especially at higher salary levels.
An opportunity was missed for acknowledging the problem and how Apple has and will continue to remedy this problem. Pretending the problem doesn’t exist is not the way.
Universities are no different. There are expensive initiatives to address issues such as economic disparities and diversity. My employer George Mason University, however, exemplifies hypocrisy that rivals Apple and other companies.
Dr. Gregory Washington has made it clear that as President of George Mason University he wants to “become a national exemplar of anti-racism and inclusive excellence.” A week does not go by without a pronouncement on these plans and progress made.1
From Dr. Gregory Washington, President:
I am creating the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, and giving its members some big assignments.
I want George Mason University to emerge from this exercise as a local, regional, and national beacon for the advancement of anti-racism, reconciliation, and healing.
From Sharnnia Artis, Ph.D., Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at George Mason University
As we strive to remain a national leader in anti-racism and inclusive excellence, we cannot ignore the external factors that impact our ability to thrive.
Well, the highly paid administrators invited one of those so-called external factors that impeded this mission to not only visit but serve as the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony this Spring 2023.
In the state of Virginia, one “so-called external factor” that impedes this mission is the governor of Virginia.
The Track Record of Governor Glenn Youngkin
While I agree with a few items in his executive order, here is something I definitely do not agree with: it is the most important legislation to improve Virginian citizens quality of life. I believe there is no rational argument for signing legislation related to educational censorship immediately after being sworn in as governor:
What other important issues could Governor Youngkin have targeted immediately following his inauguration? For starters, how about :
4,925 children still in the foster care system
5,957 homeless individuals
6% of the state living in extreme poverty and 9.9% in poverty
Regardless of your political orientation, my guess is we have this formula in common:
Helping children find loving, supportive caregivers > banning textbooks mentioning Juneteenth
Helping homeless people find a safe place to live > being disturbed by the abuse of terms such as microaggressions
Reducing poverty > preventing teachers from telling someone they engaged in cultural appropriation
Do not mistaken. I think there are a lot of problems with progressive extremism. I have written about when diversity, especially racial diversity is irrelevant and even unhelpful. I have written about how and why most diversity initiatives fail. It just so happens there are bigger societal problems that a governor should be addressing first.
With this backdrop, on March 22, 2023, the George Mason University community learned that Governor Youngkin would be the commencement speaker. The most important speaker to congratulate college graduates.
How did President Washington react to Governor Youngkin as the graduation speaker?
With unfettered excitement!
Which makes no sense in context of what President Washington supposedly values and happens to be infusing into George Mason University. Which leads me to some advice for the administration and students about this course of events from the science of persuasion.
How to Dissent & Defy Effectively
Some advice for President Washington and the rest of the administration at George Mason University:
Acknowledge the value conflict. Do not express effusive praise in isolation. Be honest. There is a sufficient behavioral trail of comments by Governor Youngkin that he is an opponent of diversity and inclusion. There is sufficient legislation signed showing opposition to the anti-racism agenda of the university. You must treat students and faculty as intelligent beings who notice this discrepancy. You must be transparent if you want university values to be deemed credible now and in the aftermath. The disingenuousness is alarming.
Get and adopt the perspective of varied constituents. Sample widely and you will uncover people who support, protest, or are ambivalent of Governor Youngkin as speaker. If you care about diversity, collect these varied perspectives and ensure their representation. Do not assume Mason is a homogenous place with homogeneous views on this issue.
Diversity of thought is the bedrock foundation of diversity
Offer opportunities for rebuttal. If you do respect diversity then give ample opportunity for students and/or faculty to voice concerns about Governor Youngkin’s presence at graduation. After all, the day is about the students not the Governor. Create a panel discussion. Create a forum for Q&A. Showcase an event that is student-centric. Amplify their voices on their day.
Communicate how freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. Ensure this is a priority at this event and elsewhere. This means not restricting the speech of an invited speaker. This means distinguishing between rights and values. Universities can only prevent speakers from campus if there is actual or threats of discrimination, and evidence that their presence will impair educational opportunities. Let students and faculty know that they can dissent but give them the parameters of how to do it effectively.
Some advice for students at George Mason University:
Talk privately to President Washington and other administrators. You will gain more traction by speaking to him in private. This way he can save face. This way he can showcase his ambivalence, true feelings, and change his mind without the risk of public social persecution.
Build a mighty alliance. Mobilize a large number of student factions together. The more varied the groups, the better. Sign any letter or set up meetings as a unified front.
Find socially attractive characters who support the cause. People with power, status, celebrity are harder to ignore than everyday characters. Search for people that are important to the organization (in this case, George Mason University). Carefully examine who has been donating money, who sits on the Board of Visitors, what organizations the university courts (e.g., members of professional sport teams, successful business owners, government officials), and national organizations that would support the resistance.
Keep a consistent message. There is no stronger predictor that a minority will influence a majority than a stable message.2 Make it clear why you have problems with this speaker.
Be aspirational. It’s a lot easier to set fires than put them out. Make it clear what suggestions you have for altering or improving the course of events. Create a vision of the ideal and this allows for a discussion of what is negotiable and non-negotiable.
Stick to objective information. It is far more persuasive to discuss problems you have that are observable with behavioral evidence. An argument that leans on personal judgments and feelings is far less convincing. Label what is an opinion from what is factual. Do this and you become more persuasive as a messenger.
Ensure your message is easy to understand. Stick to a simple message of what the problem is and how people can be part of the allied resistance. Don’t make it complicated. Offer templates of what people can post in emails, on social media, and on posters. Create a single social media hashtag. Clarify exactly what you need whether it is money, support, attention in the media, or something else. Do all the hard work so that a large number of people can help out in mere minutes.
We are all tired of how often money and power ends up being the reason organizations support social causes. It is hard to remain hopeful and skeptical instead of cynical. But we can resist. Just be sure to resist against nonsense in a principled, influential manner. Let your rebellion be the seeds of healthy social change. If you do rebel, don’t let destructive or reckless acts get the attentional spotlight over the desired message.
How do you know what someone truly values?
Observe behavior when there are competing incentives to take a stand or cave.
George Mason University administration faced this crossroad.
So far they have failed. They can do better. Permitting and embracing dissenting voices will help.
Explore THE ART OF INSUBORDINATION
If you enjoy this newsletter, please check out my award-winning book, The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. On sale as of this writing for only $4.99 on Kindle. This book offers more depth to the strategies outlined here for making groups smarter and changing people’s minds (here and here). I’d be grateful if you picked up a copy for someone seeking mental fortitude and persuasion skills. It’s for young adults seeking to amplify their voice; employees (lacking power and status) in the workplace; and leaders who desire productive conflicts.
And If You Missed the Last Issue…
Some I support. Some I believe is an overreach and lacking sufficient evidence. We should always be using evidence-based strategies or test whether experiments work or even backfire (by collecting data and be willing to disprove one’s beliefs). The majority of well-meaning diversity fail without adequate testing. Keep this trend and we will never know how resources could be better used.
Read Chapter 4 (click here).