An Emory student notes this in-depth response by one of the seven arrested protesters to President James Wagner’s email to the community last week in a post of Emory’s Center for Ethics blog.  In the interest of equal time, I’ll post the entire letter below, just as I did with the President’s letter.

I reiterate that I don’t know a lot about this issue, but reflecting on what I highlighted in President Wagner’s letter – about “the form of coercion, which shouts down every reasonable counter-argument” – and some of the comments in response about the administration’s hesitancy to engage in conversation with students about Sodexo’s labor practices, I have just one question.

Before the SWS put out its “set of demands” in March 2010, did it attempt to engage the University in less public ways, sharing its information and position while also acknowledging the structural limitations of a budgeted organization?

I think that providing examples of other university ethical standards is a good move for moving forward – as is mentioned in the letter below – but to set forth “demands” prior to conversations with the administration might be what the President is referring to when he referenced being “shouted down”.   “Demands” certainly show your strong stance on an issue, but it also frames the conversation.  Peaceful protest certainly has its place, but perhaps it’s an unnecessary side-effect of not giving the administration any benefit of the doubt and instead listing a set of demands that not only details your distaste, but also insults your counterpart simultaneously.

Just a thought.  As I said, I’m not privy to a lot of info on this topic, so if I’m missing something, please let me know.

My name is Emiko. I was one of the seven students who was arrested on Monday evening for sitting in a tent in the Quadrangle. I am a fifth year PhD candidate at Emory University, and it is as a member of this beloved community that I am writing a response to President Wagner’s two statements regarding the “protest issue” on campus. As I do not have the privilege of having an All Emory button on my email account or the ability to post my statement on the home page of Emory’s website, I must rely on the good will of friends, colleagues, and strangers to communicate this message to the wider public. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this statement and for your willingness to evaluate critically both sides of this issue.

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