“Although the task force [is] currently done, I would argue that students probably don’t feel like it’s the end. In this whole attack on higher education, which happened to be coinciding with this proposed task force — whether or not those are connected, I can’t say — it’s a scary time to be a student,” Scott said. 

While “clanker” spread through algorithms, it has also slipped into the real world, expectedly, among younger circles. People use the term in conversations in ways that mirror online comments, carrying the same undertone of bigotry and appearing only in contexts of bigotry.

The WashU community recently greeted a new provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, Mark D. West.