Nestled in a quiet community near Olympia, Washington, Evergreen State College is one of the most liberal schools in the United States. In 2015, its new president, George Bridges, sought to expand the scope and role of administration at the school. The most significant initiative was centered around diversity and inclusion.

Under Bridges, an “Equity Council” led a sweeping program to bring diversity issues to the forefront. Critics, including many faculty members, observed that the initiative, formulated behind closed doors and without peer review, had many hallmarks of Marxism—inciting hatred among different groups, and then leveraging the chaos to inject sweeping changes that placed expanded power in the hands of administrators.

The chaos that ensued drew national attention.

Students and a few faculty took control of buildings, demanding professors to show support or go home. Debate was silenced. Campus police grew concerned that some faculty were in danger of bodily harm.

In one case caught on camera, a professor instructed her students to contemplate and admit to their “whiteness.”

The college was forced to cancel classes, and even move graduation off campus. Many students feared being doxed or ostracized if they didn’t show sufficient support for the campus take-over.

In the following years, enrollment plummeted.