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Hostile tweet from Crawford draws criticism

Miami University President Gregory Crawford came under fire over winter break for his tweet that called out former MU President David Hodge in a hostile manner.

"So glad to see 2016 end with MU ranked second in undergraduate teaching," the tweet, posted Jan. 5 of this year, started. "Took Pres. Hodge years to get there. Sad! Did it in my first."

Crawford, who is known for his bold and often provocative style of communication, has been criticized before for his use of social media.

"Saw MTN interview with my wife," Crawford tweeted last semester after a Miami Television News segment which featured his wife, Dr. Renate Crawford, aired. "Pathetic! Questions completely unfair. Student media is a partisan hack. MJF department is small potatoes."

Crawford also drew near universal scrutiny for exaggerated claims about the size and influence of his inauguration last semester.

"Inauguration was beautiful with many, many young people. Biggest crowd in MU history. Entertaining. Hodge's could've put coffee to sleep!," his tweet from Oct. 11 2016, the day after his inauguration, read.

Crawford's incendiary remarks did not begin during his term as president. His ascension to the office was marked by consistently polarizing remarks that many thought would derail his chances to serve as president.

"Look, when Ohio State or UC sends their transfers," Crawford said at a speaking event in May of last year, "they're not sending their best. They're not sending people like you. They're sending their potheads, they're sending GDIs, they're bringing cargo shorts and neck beards. Some are good students, sure, but a lot aren't."

It remains to be seen what will become of his many bold promises he made to Miami students as he was preparing to take on the office of university president, such as repealing and replacing the new food plan, temporarily banning Ohio University students from coming to campus and even threatening to pull out of the Mid-American Conference.

Additionally, his claims of his own knowledge regarding specific scholastic subjects were called into question after some of the things he said this past year.

"I know everything there is to know about biology, believe me" Crawford said to a student reporter last May. "I know more than the professors, believe me. Nobody knows more about biology than me."

The above article is a work of journalistic satire.

hartjt@miamioh.edu