Libby Harrity, former student senate president at New College of Florida, joins Mike, Grant, and Megan to share her first-hand experience of the hostile takeover and the on-the-ground resistance it sparked, which ultimately resulted in her (forced) exodus to Hampshire College after a very public clash between administrators and student protestors.
Now a fourth-year thesis student, Libby gives us an inside look at how 80 students from different backgrounds went into exile "up north" to continue their education. She also shares insights into the current situation on campus at New College, reporting on how students are weathering the climate of imposed change and destruction as best as they can amidst increased police presence, forced separation, and absurd restrictions on student gatherings. We also touch on New College as the "canary in the swamp" and the broader implications of the takeover for higher education and academic freedom.
Libby discusses her in-progress thesis work, research into francophone anti-colonial liberation movements, while connecting the dots to her experiences and the broader political climate in Florida and the US. Our particular historical moment is one of stories big and small and Libby—inspired by the insights of thinkers like Frantz Fanon and Aimé Césaire—is determined to tell the people's history of these years. We chat about the cultural differences between NCF and Hampshire, and Libby's dream to install a mural honoring the New College diaspora at Hampshire and perhaps throw a real wall.
Libby's story offers a unique perspective on how a community can come together—across generations and geographies—to take care of one another and fight for New College's ideals and academic freedom. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on New College's indelible spirt, the potential for future change in FL's political landscape, and the resilience of our community in the face of adversity.
Shownotes:
“Bogus criminal case”: Harrity was accused of spitting at Trustee Rufo during a campus protest. (After photos of their encounter were published, it was amended to spitting on his shoes, charges were ultimately dropped)
“Very generous financial aid package”: Hampshire welcomed NCF defectors, and was rewarded with the largest incoming class in 5 years
Blaise Paine’s op-ed about transferring
Trending in Ed with Josh Eyler: “Are Grades Failing Our Future?”
Null Set tattoos: NCF’s longtime, quirky mascot, the “empty set," illegitimately replaced with the grimacing, flexing “Mighty Banyan”
“Amy Reid is, you know, a personal hero of mine”: Profiled in a recent issue of Ms. Magazine.
Frantz Fanon was a psychiatrist and philosopher from Martinique, and one of the foremost theorists of post-colonialism. His first major work, Black Skin, White Masks, was published when he was 27 years old.
“The Residencia… they all went into exile and a diaspora around the world”: Poets, artists, and scholars who lived in the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid fled Franco’s Spain
Joshua Epstein, accused of chanting “Free Palestine!” by school officials who briefly withheld his diploma, had actually worn “Free the Hostages” gear to graduation
“The recent Alumni Town Hall debacle”: Corcoran hosted a 90-minute event to field questions submitted to the alumni association. No submitted questions were read or answered
“Tell people that grades are not the only way.”: A message that is gaining some traction
“Purging of the trees has already started worse flooding”: The clearing of the Uplands resulted in flooding, toxic runoff, and fish kills following recent severe storms.
Beastie Boys: “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”
N.W.A.: “Express Yourself”
“We don't have any old buildings like that”: College, Cook, and Caples Hall were built as Gilded Age mansions
The R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire, the 17th certified Living Building in the world