Opinion | Dangerous white moderates and enemies of the state

Written by Hailey Bunsold

Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock

The stumbling block to progress is the same today as when Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a Birmingham, Alabama jail 60 years ago. The white moderate will bring us back to segregation unless we decide now that undoing globalization is a pointless mission.

The white moderate, defined by Martin Luther King Jr. as in favor of ending segregation but in disfavor of methods of direct action, exists with us here. The white moderate posted a black square on their Instagram in 2020 and posts Pride pics yearly with their gay best friend. 

In 2021, the white moderate was happy to trade a combination of global chaos and local reckoning from Black Lives Matter pandemic action for “diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” The white moderate doesn’t really care if those things go away, because for most it was a negotiating chip to guarantee stability. 

Our mission is to involve them in the scary truth that instability is here to stay. Our purpose is to actionably convince them that community with us is more sustainable than isolation. No Chapman student can outrun a presidency that is trying to defund our school. 

President Donald Trump is trying to undo decades of racial and ethnic integration through tariffs and deportations but his tentacles are reaching beyond the power of the president. Chapman University has been suctioned up by his giant suckers, put on notice that it is under investigation pending a comprehensive review of its DEI policies. Instead of immediately rebuffing the bully, school administration led by President Daniele Struppa swiftly capitulated by removing Provost Norma Bouchard and Vice President of DEI Reginald Stewart. 

Students gathered March 17 to protest the administration’s covert actions, which were only made public to tuition-payers through an email-leak published by The Panther. In order to make clear to those in charge that students will not stand for a silent dismantling of our resources, we need to get the white moderate to join us. 

When we face the truth, it's likely that the federal government will take away Chapman’s funding, no matter what diversity scholarships it suspends or heritage month banners it destroys. Trump is bent on scrounging up every last penny given to the taxpayer because he desperately needs to pass a trillion dollar tax cut for his dominatrix, Elon Musk. 

He’s calling on millionaires and billionaires to protect their wealth before they protect people. Trump is relying on administrators like Struppa and incoming Chapman President Matt Parlow to think of their bottom line first, their students be damned.

Let’s not fall into the trap of overdramatizing and complicating what is happening at our local level. I didn’t know what a provost does and you probably don’t either. The provost oversees the academic planning and strategy of a university. They decide the direction of the school’s curriculum, aka the requirements we all must complete to graduate. But most importantly, the provost distributes money to their educational priorities across campus. 

Bouchard was formerly praised for internationally building and sustaining diverse organizations, so it's no wonder that she is the first sacrifice. However, the ease with which the university pushed her in front of a moving train is astonishing. Without her direction, Chapman will likely see a steep regression of its newly-minted diversity initiatives like first-year foundations courses (FFCs). 

Without my FFC, I would not have been mentored by Pete Simi, who identified me as a sociologist and to whom I owe my current job as a student researcher. Sharing our knowledge only strengthens us. 

Without a provost like Bouchard, the quality of education Chapman University is providing (while making us pay out the nose for) will see a significant reduction in value. Systematically reducing the ability of students to share their learning with each other will make us dumber and more despondent, which is just what the authoritarian in chief desires. 

The language of the white moderate is stability while the capitalist’s is money. So let’s speak to both. There is no financial stability at Chapman University while it is under investigation by the Trump administration. There is an opportunity now to unite the campus in a hard no against federal demands and be a national example of rebuffing government overreach. Donors are already reportedly unsatisfied with the university’s direction, stating in fundraising call after fundraising call that they won’t pledge any amount until the school stands up to Trump. The university is already in a $30 million hole due to under enrollment. With about 60% of the school clocking in as Black, Indigenous and people of color, alliances could threaten to delay or withhold tuition payments for the 2025-2026 school year unless Chapman protects its students. Operations would be crippled.

White moderates, until they activate, are putting us all in danger. We can and should collaborate now to get ahead of the consequences while a cruel game plays out before us. We will push each other to the front of the execution line to save our own necks before we realize we have all been labeled enemies of the state. At first you’ll see your undocumented classmate removed from Henley Hall. And in a few years, you’ll wonder if your degree in communications still stands because of a critical race theory class you took as a freshman. 

Dangerous white moderates and enemies of the state, turn to the left, turn to the right and realize you’re standing side by side in front of a firing squad. Don’t delay the fight. We only have more to lose.

This article was submitted by an independent student. If you are interested in having your work featured in The Panther, reach out to pantheropinions@chapman.edu.