Columbia College Chicago President To Student: "Shut Up"

By aaroncynic in News on Mar 27, 2012 2:00PM

Columbia College Chicago President Warwick Carter

Columbia College Chicago President Warwick Carter traded some heated words with students last week at a “state of the college” address where they were allowed a question and answer session following his speech. Columbia students concerned about a 5.2 percent tuition hike and what the school calls a “prioritization” effort grilled the college president, who told at least one student to “shut up” and had another removed from the meeting.

Confronted by a student who identified herself as homeless after pointing out his salary falls a few thousand dollars short of the President of the United States, Carter said his salary had “nothing to do with it,” and told a separate student to “shut up” when his explanation was interrupted. He went on to say “One way or the other, there will be a president at this institution. Whether it's me, or someone else. And that person will make whatever amount of money the board decides to pay him or her.” In a separate instance, Carter had a student removed who shouted that the school's idea of transparency over the prioritization process was a lie.

Students and faculty at the school have been protesting the tuition hikes and prioritization efforts for nearly a month. The prioritization process recommends the elimination of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, the Center For Black Music Research, Sherwood Conservatory, Science Institute and several other programs and degrees. Many others would be consolidated or otherwise restructured. In addition, the school newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle, would be transitioned into an online publication over a two year period.

More than 1,300 students signed a petition to halt the process and freeze tuition. At a demonstration to deliver the petition, Ryan Nanni, a film and video major and member of Occupy Columbia, told The Chronicle “Columbia does not have to raise tuition, Columbia does not have to cut programs. In fact, I have proof of this. There are colleges around the country [that] are cutting tuition.”