On-Campus Controversy Emerges In Response to Seminar Cancellation

After controversy was raised last week among faculty and students concerning Fred Grandy ’66, the administration suspended the seminar, “Politics in Media,” he planned to give this winter. Many found Grandy’s past statements regarding Islam, as well as his connection to a right-leaning think tank with controversial views on the religion, to be particularly concerning.Grandy declined to comment for this article. He has written a response which is printed on A4.The administration decided to cancel the seminar for the time being, after discussions with faculty over the course of the past week. Although the seminar was canceled, Principal Lisa MacFarlane said that the Academy is grateful to Grandy for his consistent generosity towards the school. “The original program was designed to be a wonderful opportunity for 13 students to talk about politics and the media with someone who brings a unique perspective and experience to the topic,” MacFarlane said. “However, events at Exeter have distracted from that original mission, and have made it clear that the original seminar could not unfold in the way we all hoped and expected.”

“Being Muslim today means constantly having to justify and explain yourself and your decisions.”

Moriarty expressed disappointment regarding the final decision. However, he also noted the complexity of the issue and his conflicting obligations to the different groups of Academy students, whose interests have been “the heart of [his] efforts.” He said he must consider the opinions of students who feel marginalized by Grandy’s alleged Islamophobia, of those who wish to bring Grandy to expand the range of political views represented on campus and of the 13 students who were enrolled in the seminar. “It is incumbent on me to take care of the 13 students involved from the start [as well as] all of the other students who are now engaged in conversations about issues raised by the seminar,” Moriarty said.Many students felt that the administration acted too hastily in deciding to cancel the program. Senior Peter Luff, who registered for the seminar, said, “It was reckless of the administration to cancel the seminar with so little information. Grandy has the perfect credentials to teach a seminar at Exeter—he is a loyal Exeter alum who has nearly a decade of experience as a congressman, teaching experience at the University of Maryland and immense knowledge of politics and elections.”Postgraduate Mathias Valenta further explained that the school should be encouraging students to interact with people with varied views. “When the school decided not to let Mr. Grandy come speak because he had previously held opinions deemed ‘offensive,’ the administration acted in a very anti-intellectual way. Not allowing someone to come speak because it might make some students feel uncomfortable is ridiculous and a dangerous road to go down,” Valenta said.Senior Nick Madamidola, who enrolled in the seminar, agreed. “I understand where people who want the course canceled are coming from,” he said. “[But] I personally want the course to continue because it’s an opportunity for me to engage and learn from someone who shares viewpoints different from my own.”Students noted that Grandy would contribute to a need for more diverse opinions on campus, drawing attention to the predominantly liberal views of members of the Academy community. Questions were also raised about Grandy’s credentials; however, Luff dismissed this issue.“It is hypocritical for teachers to claim that Grandy, a seasoned political commentator, lacks the experience needed to teach a politics seminar at Exeter, when they themselves attempt to pontificate on political matters in the classroom using only what they have learned in the liberal echo chamber of academia,” he said.Prep Joseph Walewski noted that Grandy’s voice would have been welcome by the underrepresented conservative students on campus. “The one third of the school that identifies as conservative—a number from our school online survey—deserves a defender of their legitimate philosophies,” he said.However, many other students believed the concern surrounding Grandy lies with his views on Islam, not his conservatism.Upper Serena Cho said, “Being an Islamophobe does not mean that you are conservative, nor does being conservative mean you are an Islamophobe. There are many conservatives in this world who I would love to have on campus who are not Islamophobic and not threatening to people [here].”Conversations regarding Grandy also brought up a concern from students regarding censorship from the administration. Some students felt that the student body should have been trusted to judge Grandy’s remarks on their own and criticized the administration for censoring incoming perspectives. Senior Spencer Burleigh said that Exonians should have been given more credit for their ability to make their own educated conclusions and discard disagreeable propositions. “I believe that Exeter students would have the skills to identify these sentiments if they crept into the seminar and would dismiss them,” Burleigh said.Many students, however, felt that the school acted wisely in canceling Grandy’s seminar. Upper Jesus Rivera was relieved that the school chose to cancel the seminar. “The school should not endorse an Islamophobe regardless of what their political orientation is. If he were a liberal and still Islamophobic, I would not want him here either. The issue isn’t that Exeter wants to shut down his conservative voice. As an institution, I believe that we do not support bigotry,” he said.Senior Lucy Weiler said that at a time when “Islam is widely misunderstood and the threats against Muslims (both in the U.S. and abroad) have only increased,” bringing in Grandy posed too great a risk.Senior Tan Nazer similarly expressed gratitude in response to the cancellation of the seminar. “I’m deeply relieved to know that the administration has listened to the Muslim community’s concerns regarding Grandy and decided to put our thoughts and feelings at the forefront of their agenda. At the end of the day, it’s important that we feel safe, and frankly put, Grandy’s presence on this campus would have seriously hindered that.”Nazer said that Grandy’s on-campus presence would have further complicated the already-difficult state of practicing Islam at the Academy and in America. “Being Muslim today means constantly having to justify and explain yourself and your decisions,” Nazer said. “It’s a huge burden to carry, and Grandy’s bigoted and discriminatory statements that have been voiced publicly do nothing more but perpetuate the stereotypes that confine us by religion and condemn us by race.”Concerns still lingered over the lack of discussion prior to the creation of Grandy’s seminar. Andrew Hertig, faculty emeritus, noted that in his deed of gift, John Phillips had expressed “how susceptible” young minds are to “impressions,” and stated that “above all, it is expected that the attention of instructors to the disposition of the minds and morals of the youth under their charge will exceed every other care.”Based on the deed of gift, Hertig said that “clearly, the approval of this course, and by extension the qualifications of the instructor, seem to me to be the responsibility of the faculty, and the matter should have been brought before the faculty at the time the proposal first arose,” he said.Regardless of their views on Grandy’s presence on campus, many students understood and addressed the difficult position the administration was in when it decided to cancel the seminar.Senior Max Eberstadt-Beattie was one of them. “There’s a tough line for an academic institution between trying to provide students with widespread and differing opinions, while at the same time maintaining their standards of ethics and values,” he said.