This is the following is the transvest of an interview with Michael Roth, present Wesleyan University, which helps on “makes the null brennan” on 125, 2025.
Margaret Brennan: And we go back to President of President of Wesleyan University, Michael Roth, which voice of Montery, Massachusetts. Good morning to you.
The President of Wesleyan Michael Roth: Good morning. Good to be with you.
Margaret Brennan: I would like to pick up something that you’re not familiar with the congitory, and that is also this instruction, but also, it’s more wide no changes to the new guidelines allowed at this time. About 14% of your students are international. I am worried could not go back to school in September?
Roth: I am very worried, not only on Wesleyan, but about higher education in the United States. One of the great things on our education system is that attracts people from the whole world you want to come to America to learn. And while where you learn, the amporilling our land, our values is our provies And this is really an act of intimidation to scare the scrolls in the toe of the current admin line. He really has nothing to do with national security or with anti-antisemitism. This lifting discovery is meant to instill fear on college campuses, and I am afraid that works.
Margaret Bennan: Hello, it is in dangerable, Sir, having already, is so much of hardor, columber of its politics, find cheaches of talking. Why don’t you be afraid to critically?
Roth: Ah, I am. I am afraid. But I just got the extraordinary Americans that Americans are afraid to talk, especially people who, healthy, run, university, university, university. Because- this is a free country. I said that my whole life. I used to say to my parents that when I didn’t want to do something, I have to say that it’s a free country. And this idea that supposedly constant the ideology, it is not only bad for Harvard or for the bullshot, channels, you will be next. We have to defend our freedoms. And when we don’t wear international students, what the sudden is the one who wants, a chair will not change the President about that people come here and are afraid to talk.
Margaret Brennan: But there are some specific critics that are to widder from the members of administration. Do you think top education has become too dependent federal funding, for example, or money by foreign donors, there are the criticisms legate?
Roth: There are many legitimate critics of higher education. I think hevertheless on federal funding is the problem. Most federal funding you have to feel the picture picture are the contracts to make search types that are really great investments for the country. However, the criticism of in the monowcut and university we have a monowcut, that we do not have enough inteltal diversity, which is a criticism I have made one of my school and the upper rest for years. I think we can make improvements, but the way we make improvement is not just to rejoice behind a chair, the one who happens. Let’s get best by convening our faculty and students to alture our perspectives, to have more political and cultural liner and firm with the ideology of those in powered. But if we have work from cleaning on our cases, and we will give you. But to make it under the- under this one’s rifle of an aggressive autority administration that – that will bring you a bad result.
Margaret Brennan: Don’t do some of the protests that even falls in their campus, feeling the war against Irani in the haises or anti-, make up?
Roth: oh no, certainly not by definition. There are many examples of antisemitism around the country, some are on college campuses. Are reprehensible. When the Jewish students are bullied or afraid to practice their religion on campus, or are shouting to or is horrible. But to the Wesleyan and in many schools, the percentage of Jews protesting for the Palestinian was attached the same as the percentage of the Jews on the campus usually. The idea attacking the antisemitism attack the university, I think, it’s a complete charada. It’s just an excuse to have the university to conform. We need to print antinesmitism. Those young people just abservated because they were judiations in Washington, that is a large example of as a violence violence. But u- the university attack is not a- is not an attempt to defend Jews. To the contrary, I think more Jews will be hurt by these attacks that help.
Margaret Brennan: President Roth, thank you for your time this morning. We will be back in a moment.