BUZZ
University retracts reading assignment after whistleblower comes forward
Central Michigan University has stopped requiring prospective counseling students to read and discuss a paper about “white privilege” as part of its interview process for admissions.
Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Culture Project, exposed the requirement in a post Wednesday on X, publishing a series of documents provided by a whistleblower who appears to have recently applied to the program.
Late Thursday, DeAngelis wrote the university had dropped the requirement after being “called out” by the whistleblower.
In an email DeAngelis shared, counseling Professor Sheri Pickover told prospective students that the university’s accreditor provided “updated guidance” on admissions last week that led to the change.
“Last week, you received an email from us with an article to read ahead of the virtual group interview — you are no longer required to read this article. We will not be discussing it during the interview process,” Pickover wrote, according to the screenshot DeAngelis posted.
Pickover did not immediately respond to an email from The College Fix, asking if she had any context or comment to add about the situation and how long the article had been a requirement of the admissions process.
The article was “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, of Wellesley College, according to the unnamed whistleblower.
It begins by accusing men of being unwilling to “grant that they are overprivileged.”
“I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege,” McIntosh writes.
McIntosh then lists 50 examples of the “effects of white privilege” in everyday life, including going “shopping alone” without fear of being harassed, and finding the white race represented in music, television, and other media.
“If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race,” is another.
DeAngelis said the admissions interview requirement came from the university’s master’s of counseling program, which trains elementary and high school counselors.
He also pointed out that Central Michigan is a taxpayer-funded, public university.
“No thank you, @CMUniversity. Get this indoctrination far away from kids,” he wrote, adding, “This interview is just a way to filter out conservatives.”
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