Making it expensive to be the silent majority :: Instapundit.

Instapundit doesn't make this point, but I suppose he'd agree. It was a vocal and unrepresentative minority of faculty that drove former Harvard president Larry Summers out of office. The majority stood by mostly in silence. Ordinarily that costs you little. This time it cost $115 million; actually, probably more like $615 million.

Evidently, even that kind of money wasn't enough to solve the free rider problem. Or maybe the donor failed to make it clear that his gift was contingent. Or maybe others donors will give who wouldn't have given if Summers stayed.

I look forward to reading that Ellison has redirected his donation. Otherwise, the message will be lost.