In an article published on February 10, 2017, The Seattle Times discussed the statement of concern regarding the current state of national politics and the climate at the University of Washington, which was written by several members of the Political Science Department.
The Seattle Times higher education reporter Katherine Long interviewed Professor Michael McCann for the article asking him, among other things, why the group of political scientists from the department decided to pen the letter. McCann noted that the group “wrote the letter in large part because […] students have been asking if the transition between the Trump administration and that of former President Obama is typical of a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration.” The answer to this question, McCann argued, is no. Thus, the group felt inclined to address the issue from a non-ideological perspective focusing on “this administration’s approach to governing” and the “more fundamental erosion of democratic institutions and values [that] is under way.”
You can read the full article on the website of The Seattle Times. The open letter was also published on the Friday, February 10th, issue of The Daily.