Middlebury College Professor Hurt In Melee Faults Faculty

MONTPELIER, VT — Allison Stanger, the Middlebury College professor hurt in a melee after a campus appearance by an author who co-wrote a book discussing racial differences in intelligence, said some faculty members were more at fault for the violence than the students. Stanger made the remarks during an interview for the C-Span show "Q&A," which was set to broadcast Sunday.

"What disturbs me about what happened at Middlebury, was that I think students were actively encouraged by some members of the faculty to do things that were not in their interest and that upsets me," said Stanger, who is on leave from Middlebury for two years.

Stanger said she knew who those faculty members were and that some apologized .

"Shutting down speech is an invitation to violence," she said. "We have these heated passionate exchanges of views, precisely to avoid having to pull out guns or swords, or, you know, have a duel, so when you shut down speech you are basically inviting violence."

The college declined to comment.

Stanger was injured in March. Protesters shouted down guest speaker Charles Murray, a social scientist who critics say used pseudoscience to link intelligence to race in the 1994 book "The Bell Curve." Protesters surrounded Murray and Stanger, who was treated for a neck injury and a concussion.

Afterward, 41 students were disciplined for taking part in the first stage of the protest in which demonstrators prevented Murray from speaking. An additional 26 students faced more serious consequences for actions in the hall and outside the building.

The Middlebury Police Department was unable to identify anyone who injured Stanger in the confrontation.

Stanger, currently a scholar in residence at the New America Foundation in Washington, said she is now "feeling almost 100 percent."

Photo credit: Wilson Ring/Associated Press