Happy July 4th
On this cool morning there was a light mist over the lake, and Lola was happy just to walk past without taking a dip. We have a family oriented weekend planned, and we’ll also see neighbors celebrating our independence in this little town. Even at a time when our civic life is under great pressure, especially at such times, it’s good to remember the freedoms to which we aspire.
This week I reflected on those freedoms when I saw the forced resignation of James Ryan, the president of the University of Virginia. Here’s an excerpt:
It pained me to think that Jim Ryan felt he had to resign when he asked himself his fifth question, “What really matters?” In his resignation letter, he underscored his love of UVA and also his duty — in the face of government threats to withdraw funding — not to let keeping his job as president result in others losing theirs, to say nothing of the threats to students and researchers. Ryan decided what really mattered was protecting university workers and students, not his own presidency.
If his governing board had asked itself the question, “What really matters,” it would have refused to accept Ryan’s resignation. Its members would have realized that what really mattered in this instance was the integrity of a great university.
Jim Ryan understood his university’s mission, and he worked with “honesty, integrity, trust and respect” to further it. The success of the DOJ’s cynical demand that he resign for doing his job is a sad indication of the level of vindictiveness coming from the White House. As we approach Independence Day, it is also a reminder that in the face of tyrannical interference, freedom must be fought for.
As folks at Wesleyan and readers of this blog know, I believe it’s very important to call out abuses of power. I fear for our republic as these accumulate, but I am also heartened by the energies of those on our campus and all around the country who are determined to preserve our freedoms. I am confident we can tap into those energies in the years ahead as we work to defend our democracy.
Happy 4th!
