Student backlash toward Dean of Students Lori Berquam’s “Don’t Go” to Mifflin video prompted UW-Madison to pull the video from its YouTube channel. But despite the criticism, Berquam said Tuesday she stands behind her original message that students should not attend the party.
Berquam said she launched the video Monday, after she met with students who suggested her message would reach more people in a video format, rather than through her usual email messages.
Within hours of uploading, video commenters criticized Berquam for the speech that they said was awkward and filled with stutters and pauses. One student even created a parody remix video that has received over 20,000 views and another student submitted the original video to Tosh.0, a comedy show that mocks YouTube videos.
But over the course of the next 24 hours, some commenters began posting offensive and hateful personal attacks, including insults targeting her sexual orientation. Berquam said these remarks prompted the university to remove the video.
“To those who felt that they needed to personally attack me in this way, I have to say, my door is open,” Berquam said. “Email me. Have a conversation with me. If you really think that I am that bad, let’s talk about it.”
Steven Olikara, UW’s senior class president, said he was disturbed by the offensive comments directed at Berquam.
“I think personal attacks on someone who cares about you doesn’t reflect well on the students, on our university or the community,” Olikara said.
UW-Madison freshman Abby Thiets said Berquam telling students not to attend Mifflin is the wrong message to send. She said it would have been more effective if the video emphasized making healthy, responsible choices instead of avoiding the event.
“It was an attempt to break a tradition that has long been held in Madison and the tone of the video made it a joke to students,” Thiets added.
Berquam admitted the video was a “disaster,” but said its intent was to show her concern for students’ safety during the event.
“Have I learned my lesson about [using] video? You bet,” she said. “But in reality the message is about being safe and getting through to graduation and finishing the academic year strong.”
In response to commenters who said the video was poorly executed, Berquam said she wanted the video to be “authentic,” which led to her decision not to use a script.
Despite the backlash, Berquam said she thinks the video has become a “catalyst for conversation,” leading to heightened discussions about the Mifflin controversy.
She added she is okay being the “butt of jokes” if they lead to students making safe and responsible choices during the party.
“If people are communicating, and if there’s one student who avoids harm in some way, shape or form then it’s been worth it,” she said.
