Dan Flynn

A visiting professor at Wabash College has angered students by requiring undergraduates enrolled in her English course to write letters on behalf of a cause with which they disagree.

Eleanor Salotto, an activist professor attempting to bring co-education to the all-male liberal arts college, assigned her students to "Write a proposal to the Dean in which you recommend that Wabash admit women students."

Salotto refuses to comment on the situation, claiming that what goes on in her classroom is between her and her students.

A student enrolled in the class spoke to Campus Report on the condition of anonymity, explaining that he and other students feared that their grades would be hurt if they spoke openly about their professor’s attempts at indoctrination. "I thought it was outrageous that she made us write a memorandum championing a cause that most of us did not support," the Wabash undergraduate contended.

Although the letters to the dean were never sent, many students in the class asked to affix disclaimers to their letters explaining that they did not agree with what they had written. Salotto deemed their requests unnecessary. Despite this, many students attached notes repudiating the ideas contained in their letters. The Wabash undergraduate informed CR that more than half of the students in the class objected to the assignment.

"Dismantling Wabash as a College for men is not a divisive topic among many faculty members," points out Wabash Commentary Editor Matt Rarey, "the strong majority of whom support co-education." This is why, the Wabash sophomore explains, there has been no uproar over the recent violation of students’ freedom of opinion.

Rarey continued, "imagine the outcry of fellow colleagues if Salotto had picked a topic to champion, which challenges their orthodoxy. Say, ‘Why South Africa fared better under Apartheid.’ Even better, ‘Why the homosexual lifestyle undermines American family life.’ It seems that violating consciences is legitimate so long as the ‘wrong’ consciences are targeted."

While Wabash faculty members have remained relatively silent concerning Salotto’s mandated conformity, the faculty’s academic handbook speaks loudly with regard to such abuses of freedom of speech. The guidelines state that professors must "embrace both freedom of speech and tolerance for diversity" and stand athwart all that might "abridge the free exchange of ideas." Students claim this is another example of faculty failing to practice what they preach.

One Wabash Professor who spoke to CR found Ms. Salotto’s classroom exercise disappointing. "It’s a completely inappropriate exercise whether the letters were delivered or not," explained Classics Professor David Kubiak.

Although Salotto has crusaded against single-sex schools for men, she is the product of Bryn Mawr College, an all female institution that is one of the "seven sisters." Salotto claims that single-sex schools are good for women, but not for men.

One of the last remaining colleges exclusively for men, Wabash has been the center of controversy in recent years as a result of attempts by professors to transform the school into a co-educational institution. This has often put faculty members at odds with other players in the campus community.

Three years ago the school paid $4,500 to Michael Kimmel, a SUNY-Stony Brook professor and self-described "male-feminist," to deliver several lectures that were mandatory for members of the freshman class. Kimmel is at the forefront of a movement to end single-sex education for men and seeks to "dismantle masculinity." More recently, the faculty senate has voted to institute a "gender studies" minor which is opposed by students and the school’s board of trustees.