Former Smith College employee says she was told, ‘You can’t be here’
A former Smith College employee who resigned in February following allegations that the school was a “racially hostile environment” is now claiming that two of its students called campus police on her during a visit to the Massachusetts institution over the weekend.
Jodi Shaw – a self-described “lifelong liberal” who urged Smith College last year to “stop demanding that I admit to ‘White privilege’ and work on my so-called ‘implicit bias’ as a condition of my continued employment” – made the revelation in a video posted online late Sunday.
Shaw said she was videotaping on Smith College grounds for about 10 minutes before a campus police officer approached her and told her “that two different students had called campus police to report that Jodi Shaw was on campus – apparently by name, reported me – filming students.”
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“It was a little surprising because I had a mask on, a hat, glasses and everything and it was like the students are that aware of me and thinking that I’m filming them which was not true,” she added.
Shaw said the officer initially told her, “You can’t be here … because of what happened.” It later was determined that she was allowed on campus but needed permission to film there, according to Shaw.
Shaw, in the video, did not elaborate on what she was filming.
A Smith College spokesperson, in a statement to Fox News, said: “Ms. Shaw and another individual were reported on campus filming themselves playing musical instruments.
“Under Smith College’s Filming and Photography policy, ‘Permission for any filming or photography must be granted by the Office of College Relations prior to filming,'” the spokesperson continued. “Ms. Shaw and the second individual did not request or receive approval under this policy.
“The Campus Safety officer asked Ms. Shaw to stop filming and informed her that she could be on campus but would need to request written consent from the college for any future filming,” she added. “Ms. Shaw opted to leave campus.”
Shaw, who had graduated from the private liberal arts school for women in 1993, began working as an administrative assistant in its Office of Student Affairs three years later.
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In February, Shaw had resigned during a monthslong standoff with the Massachusetts college over allegations that the school was a “racially hostile environment.”
In a post to her website, Shaw had said she could no longer tolerate the impact that working there was having on her mental health and that she had turned down a “generous settlement” from the college that would have “required confidentiality.”
Shaw mentioned that she had offered to accept a severance only in the case that Smith would take steps to end their “mandatory race-based struggle sessions and their requirements that employees judge each other and the students in our care on the basis of their skin color.”
Smith College president Kathleen McCartney said at the time that the school “flatly denies” Shaw’s accusations of it “creating a racially hostile environment for white people.”
“The aim of our equity and inclusion training is never to shame or ostracize,” McCartney said in a letter to the Smith community. “Rather, the goal is to facilitate authentic conversations that help to overcome the barriers between us, and the college welcomes constructive criticism of our workshops and trainings.”
Fox News’ Julia Musto contributed to this report.
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Watching your appearance on Tucker Carlson Today, I was in awe of your courage and determination to unmask the insanity into which the country is rapidly avalanching. I passionately hope your efforts will encourage many others who stand up in support of the Constitution. CRT/SJ policies are atrocities that will only lead to more disunity.
I pray that your suit be successful.