Key facts
- University of Oregon faces a $65 million budget crisis.
- Dormitories will be closed due to low enrollment.
- Author attributes crisis to 'woke' policies and lack of intellectual diversity.
- University spent nearly $1 million fighting a free speech case.
- Declining out-of-state first-year enrollment cited as cause for lower tuition revenue.
Jonathan Turley writes that the University of Oregon is experiencing a significant budget crisis, requiring $65 million in cuts and the closure of dormitories due to low enrollment. The author attributes this situation to the university's perceived 'woke' culture and a lack of intellectual diversity, arguing that this environment deters prospective students and affects grant funding. Turley notes that the university has a history of academic orthodoxy and has spent substantial funds fighting free speech cases, such as the one involving Professor Bruce Gilley. The university's administration is criticized for its approach to DEI initiatives and for honoring speakers like Mireille Miller-Young, who was previously involved in a criminal assault. President Karl Scholz cited lower out-of-state first-year enrollment as a reason for declining revenues. The author suggests that this situation presents an opportunity for legislators and donors to push for cultural changes in higher education, advocating for public universities as potential bastions of free speech.