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I don’t support Nichol’s cross decision, but that’s not true. The sex show was sponsored by VOX, a pro-abortion rights student group. I don’t remember where it was. Nichol (probably cognizant of the effect it would have on criticism of his decision) condemned the show and said it had no place on campus.

Also, he didn’t ban the cross from display, he changed the policy to it would only be displayed upon request.

I don’t like Nichol’s decision but I don’t think he should be fired. W&M just wrapped up the largest capital campaign in its history (despite McGlothlin’s $12m revocation) and he is well-liked by a large majority of the student body (something like 60-70%). His primary function is to serve the students and the College, not alumni. And to say WM’s rankings are slipping: the school went from 31st best in the country to 33rd best, behind two private schools. The fall was based only on peer assessment and financial resources, not the quality of WM’s faculty, class sizes, facilities, etc. The fact that a public institution cannot compete with Lehigh University for endowment bucks shouldn’t surprise anyone. William & Mary is a state-funded school and does not have the huge pool of wealthy alums to draw on. Factor in the large budget cuts the school is receiving and it’s no wonder (although the administration has succeeded in knocking those down some). As for peer assessment, WM has about 60% of Virginia-recognized top professors and has beaten out UVa, Virginia Tech, etc. consistently every year in that regard despite having a faculty 1/4 or 1/5 the size of those schools.

While I do disagree with Nichol’s decision, I see the case to fire him as extremely weak. He is a personally charming and charismatic man, and although he made a (very) stupid decision, I don’t think he should be fired. The Board of Visitors should (and probably will) grant him a 2 or 3-year extension on his contract.