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So here is the piece: http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/mizzou-protests-lead-to-plunge-in-freshmen-massive-budget-deficits-030916 Assuming it's real TLDR: the narrative is that financial record shows that student freshmen enrollment drop of 1000+ and low retention rate is being linked to Mizzou's spineless handling of the protest. Budget short fall in range of $30 million. Well I for one would like that to be the case, but I'd like to see more philosophical rigor than just to take in the narrative, no matter how much I like it. I think there is without a doubt a strong correlation between Mizzou protest being in the media spot light, and the reduced enrollment. However that is just that. I don't think a conclusion can be drawn that it is specifically the "spineless" capitulation is what lead to the reduced enrollment and retention. If Mizzou handled it the other way, there would still be a reduced enrollment and retention. The fact that a racially charged protest took place, and is in the media spot light would bring enough negativity, such that no matter how it was handled (meaning how the media portrayed it) it would still lead to reduced enrollments. The basic premise is that if we bring down the "ideal human image" from the pedestal, that most people don't really care, for all are part of the too-long-didn't-read generation. A spotlight level negative mention would shun the masses away from the subject. Vast majority of college bound students will have at least two schools in their minds to choose from. Mizzou's emergence in the negative spot light just made their choice a lot simpler. "This is now off the list, time to consider the remaining choices." It is just as simple as that. To tout this as some how a victory of "common sense", "rationality", or "this is what happens if you capitulate", assumes too much about the good human quality that I just don't think it's there. Any thoughts?