Controversial author expected to return to Middlebury College – WCAX

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) A controversial author who ignited demonstrations at Middlebury College three years ago is expected to return to campus later this spring.

Dr. Charles Murray has reportedly accepted an invitation by the Middlebury College Republicans to tentatively speak on campus March 31, according to an op-ed by the group in the Middlebury Campus newspaper.

The college confirmed in a written statement Wednesday that the group invited Murray to discuss his upcoming book, Human Diversity: The Biology of Gender, Race, and Class.

A 2017 speech by Murray prompted demonstrations and a confrontation in which a Middlebury professor was injured. Murray is a social scientist who critics say uses pseudoscience to link intelligence and race.

"We believe that the way the administration and the protesters handled the 2017 event was a stain on Middlebury's reputation and a betrayal of its mission of 'creating a world with a robust and inclusive public sphere,'" said the op-ed. "We believe that this public sphere is integral to the meaning of a liberal arts education and the freedom of academic inquiry."

The 2017 incident garnered national attention over the issues of political correctness on campus and freedom of speech.

The college created new guidelines following the incident that called for evaluating the safety risks and security needs and consider canceling only events that cause imminent and credible threats that cannot be helped by changing the event plan.

The college canceled a lecture by a conservative Polish speaker last April out of safety concerns.

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Controversial author expected to return to Middlebury College - WCAX