Letter to the editor: Alumni address decision to sign President Davis resignation petition
May 5, 2021
We are alumni from the classes of 2009, 2010, and 2011. It is with heavy hearts that we write to explain our decision to sign both the petition requesting that President Davis step down, as well as the alumni letter encouraging major donors to stop their donations until he does so.
Like many, we have been disappointed to watch Linfield receive negative national press coverage for this explosive decision to abruptly fire tenured professor Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner. We believe this action perpetuates a culture of fear of retribution at Linfield.
In 2018 we were grateful to see Linfield hire Miles Davis as President: instating a Black president seemed like great progress for Linfield. Friday’s report from the NAACP gave us pause about the ways that racial dynamics are also at work in this complicated conflict. We appreciate that the NAACP has pointed out the lack of diversity at all levels within Linfield and challenged the community to consider what of this situation arises from a resistance to Black leadership.
At the same time, we are very bothered that, in his recent interview with Oregon Live Davis undercuts the credibility of Linfield Faculty in order to defend himself. In responding to Professor Linder and Professor Thompkins’s accusation that he used an inappropriate holocaust metaphor when speaking about faculty cuts, why did Davis feel the need to point out that their recollections didn’t match? He goes on to admit (and defend) that he did, in fact, make the comment about Jews and gas chambers. No matter how the metaphor was phrased, it was inappropriate and antisemetic.
President Davis calls on his critics to give him the chance to demonstrate his humanity. We ask: how will Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner demonstrate his humanity after being abruptly fired without due process? In his interview, President Davis likens the actions of Pollack-Pelzner to theft or vandalism, but as far as the public is aware, all Pollack-Pelzner has done was criticize the leadership.
Davis then goes on to argue that if the faculty are offended by things he says they should just talk it out with him. Clearly there is a power dynamic at play, and faculty members are right to fear retribution, given the recent firing of Dr. Pollack-Pelzner. Davis has not created a culture of openness and honesty that would allow offended faculty to be forthcoming about those issues. As we’ve corresponded with former professors about this in the past few days, they have made the point to pass us their personal email addresses in case their email is cutoff as abruptly as Dr. Pollack-Pelzner’s was.
Lastly, Davis’s remarks about the sexual misconduct accusations perpetuate a narrative in which the intention of the perpetrator matters more than how the actions were received by the victim.
When speaking about allegations into sexual misconduct on his behalf, Davis is quick to point out that he did not go against the Linfield policy and that his actions were not done with sexual intent. That may be true. But we would much prefer Davis to set an example for the Linfield community by validating the way his actions were perceived by the woman who raised the concern. He must know that saying, “I’m sorry if you were offended, but…” is not a real apology.
The NAACP report indicates that accusing President Davis of being “divisive, intimidating, combative, aggressive, disrespectful and abusive” is coded racist language. While it is appropriate to examine the racial components at play, after hearing the way that President Davis attacks the credibility of faculty who raise critiques against him, justifies antisemetic comments, and perpetuates problematic narratives about sexual misconduct, we believe he is not fit for leadership at Linfield University.
We encourage other alumni to speak out as well.
Becca Méndez (Williams), Class of 2010
Ansley Clark, Class of 2010
Ajeeta Khatiwada, Class of 2010
Shannon Oddo (Merrick), Class of 2010
Dayna Streufert (Tapp), Class of 2011
Kate Agenbroad (Peterson), Class of 2009
Thomas Scott Miller • May 5, 2021 at 7:00 pm
I am a 1993 graduate of Linfield. I cherish my alma mater. I am glad that the issues of racial discrimination have been investigated and I feel that it is our collective obligation to ensure that we immediately recognize, condemn, and prevent any semblance of racism, however slight, from ever surfacing on campus, or among the Linfield community, ever again. However, after reading the NAACP report, it troubles me that the NAACP President concluded that Linfield “has created and maintains a white supermacy [sic] culture…” (see page 3 of “”, Dr. Reginald Richardson, Sr., President, Salem-Keizer NAACP (April 30, 2021), sknaacp1166.org). This is untrue. Linfield University has always carried the current of the times with it, however, the Linfield community did not tolerate racism when I attended the University between 1989 and 1993 and it does not tolerate it now. On the issue of Dr. Pollack-Pelzer and the allegations of sexual assault and anti-Semitism, I am not in a position to comment other than to say that, in my experience, the truth almost always lies somewhere in the middle. In the case of each of at least one allegation, we know that Dr. Davis ultimately admitted something that he had earlier denied; namely, he acknowledged speaking with a Jewish Professor about the physical characteristics of the Jewish population (Michael Levenson, “Linfield University Fires Professor Who Spoke Out About Misconduct Cases,” New York Times (May 1, 2021). It is the presence of these allegations, their number, and their severity, rather than the determination of exactly what occurred, that bothers me. In my opinion, it should bother you, too. I invite alumni from the 1990s and earlier to speak up and voice their opinions, whatever those opinions may be. Personally, and until Linfield reinstates Dr. Pollack-Pelzner and removes Dr. Miles and Board of Trustees Chair David Baca, I will cease the donations that I make to Linfield and divert them to the fund that alumni have already established, and that the reading audience may find at saveourlinfield.com. I have already made my first donation and I encourage other alumni to do the same. Remember, Linfield is an institution of education and it prepares our young, bright, capable youth for the task of leading us down the road. The Linfield community espouses education, and education demands enlightened reason, not emotions. It demands justice, not personal agendas. I welcome any opinions, of any kind, from all alumni, but I strongly encourage alumni from (wow, I AM getting old!) the 80s and 90s to speak up, to join this discussion, and consider supporting the alternative fund that fellow alumni have donated their time to establishing and that I look forward to supporting as we move ahead. -Thomas Scott Miller, JD, BA (Linfield ’93)
Killer Marmot • May 5, 2021 at 11:49 am
The firing of Pollack-Pelzner without following proper procedure or even providing a credible explanation is particularly odious. It reeks of arrogance.