Dive Summary:
- James W. Wagner, president of Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., ignited a racial controversy last week when he praised the 1787 compromise which allotted three-fifths of a vote to each slave as an example of how different groups with opposing ideologies can find common group.
- Wagner has since apologized for the hurt and confusion his "clumsiness and insensitivity" caused; meanwhile, a faculty group condemned the remarks, many students protested and the incident received national news coverage.
- Some students and faculty say the remarks are just another example of obliviousness from the school's administration, which announced budget cuts in September that some felt unjustly targeted programs favored by minority students.
From the article:
"... In an interview on Friday, Dr. Wagner said neither the cuts nor his self-described gaffe in Emory Magazine was intended to hurt what he described as a vibrant multicultural environment at the college.
The president’s misstep was only the latest episode in what one Emory administrator called 'quite a challenging year' for the private university. ..."
