When a new sexual harassment policy was published at Middlebury College in 1991, and included harassment based on sexuality, there was a strong response. This response was exacerbated by a reflection on the newly popular concept of “political correctness,” which was a topic of intense debate. Student Daniel E. O’Neil wrote an op/ed in The Campus against the censorship that he believes is a product of political correctness (March 14, 1991). Students then wrote op/eds in response to O’Neil and in support of political correctness (March 14 and March 21). Following this, another student, David Upham, wrote in defense of O’Neil and his rights to free speech and religious freedom regarding homosexuals (April 11). At that point, professors and students alike joined in with op/eds on the debate about sexuality, free speech, sexual harassment, and political correctness. (April 18, April 25, May 9). This collection contains a very interesting string of op/eds, numbering 13 total, which provide insight to the past and present of these topics at Middlebury. Each article is labeled with its publication date in the title, so you can view them more easily in chronological order.
Explore collection items:
- (March 14) The Campus: “The Meaning of Political Correctness at Middlebury”
Description: This is the first op/ed in response to Middlebury’s new sexual harassment policy in 1991, which included harassment based on sexuality. This article discusses the merits of intellectual freedom, censorship, and political correctness at… Continue reading (March 14) The Campus: “The Meaning of Political Correctness at Middlebury” - (March 14) The Campus: “Help! How do you define PC?”
Description: This op/ed was published alongside Daniel O’Neil’s on March 14, 1991. This article details the points of a lecture on March 7 by Catherine Stimson titled: “On Being Labeled Politically Correct.” Not finding the… Continue reading (March 14) The Campus: “Help! How do you define PC?” - (March 21) The Campus: “PC does not exist at Middlebury”
Description: This op/ed is a direct response to Daniel O’Neil’s article a week prior on March 14. This article says that though political correctness can be problematic, there is no point to O’Neil’s op/ed, as… Continue reading (March 21) The Campus: “PC does not exist at Middlebury” - (March 21) The Campus: “Revising O’Neil’s definition of PC”
Description: This op/ed is a direct response to Daniel O’Neil’s article a week prior on March 14. The article accuses O’Neil of claiming a “genuine intellectual interest in preserving diversity” while what he is really… Continue reading (March 21) The Campus: “Revising O’Neil’s definition of PC” - (March 21) The Campus: “Middlebury is tense as it defines political correctness”
Description: This op/ed is a response to the theme of PC in the March 14 1991 edition of The Campus, and more specifically the articles written by Daniel O’Neil, Chad Bryant and Leland Hart. Lang… Continue reading (March 21) The Campus: “Middlebury is tense as it defines political correctness” - (April 11) The Campus: “PC seen as threat”
Description: This op/ed is written in defense of Daniel O’Neil’s article in the March 14 edition of the Campus. This article specifically addresses the legitimacy of the college’s new sexual harassment policy which prohibited “negative… Continue reading (April 11) The Campus: “PC seen as threat” - (April 18) The Campus: “Correcting Upham”
Description: This brief op/ed corrects an incorrect statement in David Upham’s article from the April 11, 1991 issue of The Campus. In that article, Upham claims that whether or not homosexuality is a mental disorder… Continue reading (April 18) The Campus: “Correcting Upham” - (April 18) The Campus: “College policy protects discussion, not hatred”
Description: This op/ed is a direct response to David Upham’s article written a week prior in the April 11 issue of The Campus. Moss responds to Upham’s opinions about the new sexual harassment policy (which… Continue reading (April 18) The Campus: “College policy protects discussion, not hatred” - (April 18) The Campus: “Understanding ‘PC’”
Description: This editorial reconciles the history and present of the term “political correctness.” The history stems from Marxists circles wherein any politics that weren’t Marxist were deemed “politically wrong.” However the term was reinterpreted for… Continue reading (April 18) The Campus: “Understanding ‘PC'” - (April 25) The Campus: “Homosexuality is unnatural and evil”
Description: This op/ed follows a previous article from Upham (2 weeks prior), and articles that were written in response to it (1 week prior.) Upham makes his position on homosexual acts as “both unnatural and… Continue reading (April 25) The Campus: “Homosexuality is unnatural and evil” - (May 9) The Campus: “Open your mind, Mr. Upham”
Description: This op/ed is a direct response to David Upham’s second article written two weeks prior in the April 25 issue of The Campus. Spangler begins by pointing out that expression of opinions cannot be… Continue reading (May 9) The Campus: “Open your mind, Mr. Upham” - (May 9) The Campus: “Free speech for whom?”
Description: This op/ed puts the Middlebury PC debate in conversation with national narratives about PC and a reactionary speech by President Bush. It also describes an SGA meeting on April 28, during which straight white… Continue reading (May 9) The Campus: “Free speech for whom?” - (May 9) The Campus: “Upham misunderstands PC”
Description: This op/ed is a direct response to David Upham’s second article written two weeks prior in the April 25 issue of The Campus, and also references Kevin Moss’s rebuttal to Upham’s first letter. This… Continue reading (May 9) The Campus: “Upham misunderstands PC”