The Middlebury College professor hospitalized after protesters attacked her for organizing an event with controversial social scientist Charles Murray has released a statement on Facebook.
Allison Stanger, the Russell Leng ’60 Professor of International Politics and Economics at Middlebury, explained that she “welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the event” because she remains committed “to a free and fair exchange of views.” Despite identifying as a Democrat, Stanger encourages open debate in her classroom.
Many on the left consider Murray a controversial figure due to his 1994 work, The Bell Curve, a book he co-authored with then-Harvard Psychologist Richard J. Herrstein. In one section of the book, Murray and Herrstein argue that human intelligence is partially inheritable and varies by race. The book has been heralded as “one of the most provocative social science books published in many years.”
Prior to Murray’s scheduled talk, Stanger described a chaotic scene in the college’s auditorium with students “screaming and chanting and chair-pounding.” Like a scene from a zombie movie, students in the crowd, “made eye contact” with Stanger and “effectively dehumanized” her.
After protestors hindered any chance of Murray speaking in person, organizers tried having the event broadcasted via live-stream. In response, protesters began pulling fire alarms and continued “banging on the windows,” leaving Stanger to worry “that they were going to break through.”
Leaving the event, Stanger was confronted with “an angry mob,” that repeatedly assaulted her as she tried protecting Murray. In this moment, Stanger “feared for [her] life.” Stanger later went to the hospital for a neck injury sustained during the attacks.
Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton released a statement saying that the college “will be responding in the very near future to the clear violations of Middlebury College policy that occurred inside and outside Wilson Hall.” Patton places part of the blame of the violence on “outside agitators.”
The campus is located in the quiet, 8,200-person town of Middlebury, Vermont.
Describing the school’s initial reaction, Stanger expressed surprise that Middlebury faculty members “had rendered judgement on Dr. Murray’s work and character” despite “openly admitting that they had not read anything he had written.”