Dark skies for CWRU

The astronomy department at CWRU, two years ago, put out a "unanimous" statement including this text:

Victim-blaming is an excuse closet racists use to dodge engagement with the real issue of police misconduct. “He was a career criminal! He deserved it!” and “Riots are bad! Police must keep order and protect property!” These are distractions from the real issue. Property is not as important as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Black Americans are not assured of any of those. When they peacefully assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievances, they are met with masses of police in riot gear hurling flash-bangs and teargas. Even if a few of these assemblages lead to riots and some looting, so what? That is nothing in comparison with existential threat to life and liberty suffered by all too many Americans because of the color of their skin.

Recently its department chair Dr Stacy McGough (he/him), who forced that statement through, has reported a number of retirements from the older staff. This will likely result in the merger of Astronomy with Physics at CWRU. h/t Turtle.

Whatever the merits of that cause which the department chose, theft at an equipment-heavy department is a risk to CWRU's assets and, therefore, its insurance. The statement overall meanwhile made the department look weak in the face of other departments at this university. Some departments only exist because of a constituency which has historically been cool toward space exploration. In addition, if I were a 61 year old professor in 2020 and been cordially invited to sign a statement such as McGough's... I too would have to ask myself, especially if I'd been signing "diversity and equity" statements for the past decade, how my retirement benefits were looking, and what might be the status of my reputation if I didn't sign this one more personal insult. Yeah I'd probably sign too and then start preparing for my golden years.

In short: CWRU was never a safe space for honest scientody, McGough was always a thug leading his department of cowards, and every man Jack is getting what McGough asked for.