# Mizzou freshman enrollment down 35+% since protests **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951 "2017-07-10T21:02:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/21 "2017-07-11T19:42:26Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > To be clear, that professor was a protester herself and was acting in the capacity of a protestor - not as a university rep - when she called for the press to be forcibly blocked. “Come to Mizzou - where the professors are as dumb as the students!” Not a strong recruitment slogan, ISTM. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/22 "2017-07-11T19:43:13Z")
> [@moojja](#): > > NYT articles says it in their first sentence: “as the campus has been shunned by students and families put off by, depending on their viewpoint, a culture of racism or one where protesters run amok.” > > I find this so interesting because of another university mentioned in the article. UC Berkeley is (in)famous for their protesters and sit-ins, yet their enrollment is not affected at all. But for students/families who are looking at Mizzou, the protest does matter. > > I wonder if it’s b/c most Mizzou are racists therefore the open protest made them feel uncomfortable. No studies or data to support this theory, it’s just wild speculation on my part. For UC schools you apply to the UC system and list your preferred UC…or that was how I had to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/23 "2017-07-11T19:45:57Z")
UC-Berkley is probably considered more prestigious, generally speaking, than Mizzou, so their admissions applications would probably not fall much. Harvard could have riots and protests amok and probably still have tens of thousands of applications flooding its mailboxes every year regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/24 "2017-07-11T20:33:01Z")
I blame the crappy football team. 4-8 ain’t gonna cut the mustard in the SEC. They lost _Homecoming_ to freakin’ Middle Tennessee! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/25 "2017-07-11T20:41:01Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I blame the crappy football team. 4-8 ain’t gonna cut the mustard in the SEC. > > They lost _Homecoming_ to freakin’ Middle Tennessee! All their muscle was busy elsewhere. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/26 "2017-07-11T21:12:34Z")
UM made a few mistakes. One is it tried to basically surrender its campus to protesters who were demanding various unreasonable things, like spaces that only black people could use and where whites would have no speech rights–when you combine that with unrestricted anti-white protests obviously middle class white families are going to be less inclined to send their kids there. The second mistake is they expected by attacking the white middle class with some symbolic oppression it would at least keep the campus minorities happy, but the reality is that nothing makes the BLM types happy, they feed off of, and love, being unhappy and unreasonable. Thus they still found UM’s administration racist (even though it never was to begin with), so you saw falling enrollment among their type as well. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/27 "2017-07-12T00:34:28Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > UM made a few mistakes. One is it tried to basically surrender its campus to protesters who were demanding various unreasonable things, like spaces that only black people could use and where whites would have no speech rights–when you combine that with unrestricted anti-white protests obviously middle class white families are going to be less inclined to send their kids there. > > The second mistake is they expected by attacking the white middle class with some symbolic oppression it would at least keep the campus minorities happy, but the reality is that nothing makes the BLM types happy, they feed off of, and love, being unhappy and unreasonable. Thus they still found UM’s administration racist (even though it never was to begin with), so you saw falling enrollment among their type as well. I am convinced that some people \*need \*to protest - that they have protesting in their blood. Sure, there is injustice in society. But some people will not be happy or feel fulfilled without marching, or holding a sign, or starting some online petition or attack blog. They need to fight for _something_. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/28 "2017-07-12T05:31:17Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > To be clear, that professor was a protester herself and was acting in the capacity of a protestor - not as a university rep - when she called for the press to be forcibly blocked. Ahh…so that makes it okay. Because the constitution guarantees the right to assault journalists. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/29 "2017-07-12T13:32:05Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Ahh…so that makes it okay. > Because the constitution guarantees the right to assault journalists. I have no clue how you parsed my statement in such a way to arrive at that meaning. Generally, when one reds that a professor at a university did something at the university where they are employed it infers that the action was taken in their official capacity. In this case the actions was “extracurricular”. I was simply pointing that out. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/30 "2017-07-12T17:33:55Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I have no clue how you parsed my statement in such a way to arrive at that meaning. Generally, when one reds that a professor at a university did something at the university where they are employed it infers that the action was taken in their official capacity. In this case the actions was “extracurricular”. I was simply pointing that out. It doesn’t matter if she was acting in official capacity…she was flagrantly breaking the law on campus. Who wants to enroll in a university where you face open threats of assault and battery from someone who disagrees with you? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/31 "2017-07-12T20:06:20Z")
I clarified the facts of a specific incident mentioned in a prior post. I intentionally made no value judgment based upon those facts. Why you are trying to take me to task about something I never said nor inferred baffles me, but if it brings you joy please continue. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/32 "2017-07-13T06:05:46Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I clarified the facts of a specific incident mentioned in a prior post. I intentionally made no value judgment based upon those facts. Why you are trying to take me to task about something I never said nor inferred baffles me, but if it brings you joy please continue. Sorry…I apologize . This isn’t a thread about you or me. It’s a thread about racism, and students refusing to attend the University. Some people claim that students are refusing to attend because blacks are afraid of racism, and whites are afraid of being labelled racists. Then somebody mentioned the “muscle” incident. You pointed out that the incident was done by a professor acting as a private person , not an official representative of the university. I responded with a possibly overly-sarcastic remark. But my point is that , whatever the problems with racism may be—there is a much bigger problem: a university where the resident adults think it is okay to threaten journalists with physical violence. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/33 "2017-07-13T06:27:26Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > there is a much bigger problem: a university where the resident adults think it is okay to threaten journalists with physical violence. Where a protesting **teacher** threatens a **student** journalist. I wouldn’t want to go to a school where it was ok for a teacher to threaten a student with violence. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/34 "2017-07-13T07:28:49Z")
You can’t become a University that is known for pandering to the left and also is perceived as racist. The enrollment will just keep going down. The Administration should do three things. Take a hard line at the Racism issue. Start throwing people out if they engage in that and make sure it is well published in the news. This works both ways, btw. If there are people promoting fake racial incidents, and it seems there are many at universities, they don’t belong on campus either. Take a hard line on the lefty protest movements and simply not allow them on campus. Become a school known to support academics and not allow diversions on campus. Got students and teachers doing that foolishness just thrown them the fuck out. Again make sure this is well published in the news. Use the mantra of come to Missou, learn and get your degree. Then use the time honored and proven way to bring the enrollment rates back up. Lower the tuition a significant amount. Looks like Mizzou will have to bit the bullet and do that for quite some time till they straighten things out. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/35 "2017-07-13T08:04:13Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > Take a hard line at the Racism issue. Start throwing people out if they engage in that and make sure it is well published in the news. This works both ways, btw. If there are people promoting fake racial incidents, and it seems there are many at universities, they don’t belong on campus either. > > Take a hard line on the lefty protest movements and simply not allow them on campus. Become a school known to support academics and not allow diversions on campus. Got students and teachers doing that foolishness just thrown them the fuck out. Again make sure this is well published in the news. Use the mantra of come to Missou, learn and get your degree. How do you imagine that a public university might successfully ban either “racism” or “lefty protest movements”? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/36 "2017-07-13T08:36:25Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > How do you imagine that a public university might successfully ban either “racism” or “lefty protest movements”? The university can’t repeal the first ammendment, of course. But it _can_ enforce a code of behavior. Two years ago two students were [expelled from the University of Oklahoma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_University_of_Oklahoma_Sigma_Alpha_Epsilon_racism_incident) for singing their fraternity song with the words “no niggers in Sigma Alpha E” The University administration also closed the fraternity house on campus the same day. The official reason in the letter of expulsion, signed by the head of the University, was phrased something like " violating the campus rules of behavior regarding creating a hostile environment". ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/37 "2017-07-13T09:07:39Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Two years ago two students were [expelled from the University of Oklahoma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_University_of_Oklahoma_Sigma_Alpha_Epsilon_racism_incident) > for singing their fraternity song with the words “no niggers in Sigma Alpha E” > The University administration also closed the fraternity house on campus the same day. I remember that. Did the students ever challenge that? I don’t think they did. Which is probably good for them (more press is not what they needed in their lives), but bad for the law, as their expulsion [was](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/03/10/no-a-public-university-may-not-expel-students-for-racist-speech/?utm_term=.a1cbf8a8848c) [pretty](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/03/15/ou-oklahoma-frat-race-free-speech-column/24808377/) [dubious](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/11/expelled-oklahoma-students-have-an-excellent-chance-of-succeeding-if-they-sue/?utm_term=.545789f5d555). I’m not sure Mizzou will be so lucky in avoiding lawsuits if it decides to enact a blanket ban on “the racism issue” or “lefty protest movements.” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/38 "2017-07-13T14:26:24Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Where a protesting **teacher** threatens a **student** journalist. I wouldn’t want to go to a school where it was ok for a teacher to threaten a student with violence. She was [fired over a year ago](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/university-of-missouri-fires-melissa-click-who-tried-to-block-journalist-at-protest.html), about 3 months after incident. So the administration did not think her actions were ok. If your theory was correct, enrollment would be down at [Gonzaga University](http://www.gonzagabulletin.com/opinion/article_ef10a3f6-7ac1-11e6-b198-e3b4f6180b10.html), where she now works. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/39 "2017-07-13T15:29:41Z")
Mizzou is a microcosm of the current American political landscape: split between conservative middle class white folks, and extremely liberal but somewhat more diverse types. Columbia is surrounded by simple farmers, people of the land, etc. Including a fair amount of KKK supporters even still. And lots of liberal students, and minorities that the university has been deliberately recruiting. There is pretty much no way for a competent administration to reconcile this easily. And the Mizzou administration is far from competent. Alumni just got a weird email complaining about how they were misrepresented in an article in… the NYT? New Yorker? Don’t really recall and I deleted the thing, but it was a long rambling whine. Most of Mizzou’s enrollment comes from in-state, and everyone in the state has seen how inept the university has been handling its problems, and how much they keep denying that there _are_ problems. It’s a mess, and not a surprise that no one wants near it – _particularly_ with people who don’t have any knowledge of the system stridently proclaiming their social justice warrior or anti-SJW solutions as the only hope. Mizzou has an ingrained racism problem, and the lack of effective response to it from the university has the students up in arms both decrying and denying it. Until that culture gets sorted out, their best bet probably is to lower tuition; Mizzou has a large endowment, so it’ll be fine for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951/40 "2017-07-13T17:07:13Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > If your theory was correct, enrollment would be down at [Gonzaga University](http://www.gonzagabulletin.com/opinion/article_ef10a3f6-7ac1-11e6-b198-e3b4f6180b10.html), where she now works. Interesting. I don’t remember posting a theory. Oh, that’s because I didn’t. Just my own personal inclination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mizzou-freshman-enrollment-down-35-since-protests/790951.md?page=3)