Rantz: Evergreen State College hit with ‘catastrophic’ enrollment crisis

If you hoped legislators in Olympia would stop funding Evergreen State College, just be patient. If things continue to deteriorate, the college will implode on its own.

Several months ago, I reported that Evergreen was witnessing dramatic decreases in student enrollment and subsequently cash-flow. Indeed, the school was forced to dip into their emergency funds. Now we know just how bad it is.

“It’s a catastrophic drop, but I’m hoping we’ll recover,” Evergreen Professor Mike Paros told Fox News.

The incoming freshman class to Evergreen is expected to be 350 students, with a total of 3,000-3,100 total enrollment, according to estimate originally published by Professor Paros.

Things have been going downhill since a group of unhinged, Progressive students held then-Professor Brett Weinstein hostage because he didn’t think it was the right move to ban white people from campus. The school’s cowardly president, George Bridges, repeatedly kowtowed to abusive students who wouldn’t even let him use a restroom, without an escort, during a meeting to address their gripes. He’s even had to seek counseling after putting up with the abuse.

In March, I obtained a PowerPoint presentation from school administrators that started to sound the alarms. This new enrollment number is even lower than the 3,600 they originally estimated. To put this in context, enrollment has been on the decline since the 2009-2010 semester, when they peaked at 4,596.

Evergreen brought this on themselves. Rather than pushback at an out-of-control mob of student lunatics, they leaned in and embraced the chaos. Fueled by their commitment to “social justice” and all-things-Progressive, they managed to stray so far to the Left, few students want anything to do with them.

Beyond the Weinstein drama, the school has been generally permissive of bad behavior. I reported last year of artwork depicting President Donald Trump was vandalized. Ironically, the artwork was actually meant to be critical of Trump, but his mere image triggered a vandal.

Amir Hassan, an Academic Specialist, complained over email that “…in spite of the fact that it is meant to be critical, it was a poor decision to provide space for images of his likeness – I have no doubt they have been triggering for many students.” He then encouraged the staffer responsible for the art display to “more fully check your own privilege.” When I reported this story, the staff was warned that to watch what they say in emails, as I’m likely to report on it.

I hate to see people out of work, and there are many fine people at Evergreen (especially the staffers who, while too scared to admit they hate what’s going on, are quick to forward me tips so I can report on them without fear of the campus Progressives). But many of these professors and staffers have no business holding any positions of influence over already out-of-control children. They’re not serving these students who will go into the real world unable to cope with some simple facts like: not everyone will think like them. This school is better off shuttered and it won’t be their critics responsible; it’s their own irresponsible, irrational actions.

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