Conservative Portland State professor upset after faculty book club pick features broad criticism of Whites

A professor at Portland State University is sounding the alarm over the book selection for the school’s faculty book club starting on April 17. 

"My institution, Portland State, is having faculty read a book in Spring quarter on the awful scourge of White people at the institution," Bruce Gilley, professor of political science at Portland State University, wrote in a March 26 post on X.  

"Here are the references to Whites from the book," Gilley wrote, referencing the book to be discussed, "Culture Clash," by David Peterson del Mar, a former PSU professor, and Alejandra Vazquez, who says she was a co-author and research assistant from Jan. 2023-Oct. 2025 at PSU on her LinkedIn page. 

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The book, according to PSU’s event page for the faculty book club, features almost 100 interviews with students, and "invites us to listen closely to how students describe their learning experiences at PSU — the strengths they bring, the challenges they navigate, and the kinds of teaching and support that helped them succeed."

It adds that, "Together, we’ll reflect on what their stories can teach us and explore the recommendations students and faculty share for creating learning environments where more PSU students can thrive."

The first reference to "Whites" in the book that Gilley listed reads, "Those with the most job security in this system tend to be White males from comfortable backgrounds who were raised in highly individualistic families and cultures." 

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Another example listed by Gilley says, "‘I can’t share with these White professors,’ she explains, and often feels ‘like I’m a rubber duck in a pond of real [White] ducks.’"

An additional example was, "‘Some students,' mostly White, 'are stingy and don’t want others to get ahead of them.’" 

The book also states, "Many of the students we interviewed have described how White professors and students seemed determined to use complicated language and terminology to demonstrate their superior intelligence, even – or particularly – when they were describing socially progressive points of view." 

Another quote featured in the book from chapter 6, "'FIGHTING IS ALL I KNOW': ALEJANDRA'S STORY" states, "I had to coexist with racists, white supremacists, and dangerously ignorant people."

The final example in the book shared in part by Gilley on X states, "Academic culture is a sort of distillation or intensified version of White, upper-middle-class culture in that expressing progressive points of view on topics such as inequality and racism is often more common and valued than working closely with people who have been marginalized." 

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for PSU relayed that, "The quarterly book club is an optional program for faculty and staff to connect. This term’s selection, ‘Culture Clash: New Majority Students at PSU,’ was authored by a retired professor and a PSU alum. It is based on nearly 100 interviews detailing the student experience — specifically the strengths they bring, the challenges they navigate and the support systems that help them succeed." 

The spokesperson added, "The book offers an honest look at the emotional and practical realities of balancing academics with family, work and cultural expectations. Portland State University remains committed to academic freedom and providing a welcoming home for free speech and diverse perspectives."

Gilley told Fox News Digital in a statement, "There are many serious legal and ethical problems with even publishing such a book, much less using it for faculty training. Most obvious, it contains dozens of disparaging characterizations of White people that, if directed at any other racial or ethnic group, would be immediately recognized as unacceptable stereotyping and would likely violate both state and federal civil rights protections as well as university policies regarding hostile educational environments. 

"The pervasive pattern of negative generalizations about white students, faculty, and ‘White culture’ raises serious questions about whether Portland State University is fulfilling its obligations under state law to provide an equitable, non-discriminatory educational environment for all Oregon students." 

He added, "The book presents White people—students, faculty, and professionals—as a monolithic group characterized by arrogance, selfishness, insensitivity, lack of empathy, intellectual showboating, privilege-blindness, and active or passive racism. 

"If this book had characterized any other racial group—African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans—in similarly sweeping negative terms, would PSU have published it and encouraged faculty to incorporate it into their teaching? If not, what principle justifies different treatment based on the racial group being characterized?"

Fox News Digital attempted to reach Peterson del Mar and Vazquez for comment. 

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