There was an almost electric hum in the air as students, faculty, and staff alike gathered in the Bush Auditorium. For the first night in a long time, academic discourse seemed to be in vogue at Rollins College as Dr. Victor Ray took the stage to present his lecture on Critical Race Theory.  Ray is a veritable expert on the topic of Critical Race Theory, a school of sociological thought that he asserts has been turned into a Republican dog whistle to criticize many policies designed to promote racial equity in the U.S. He is currently the F. Wendell Miller associate professor in the departments of sociology and criminology and African American Studies at the University of Iowa, and he has held fellowships at both The Brookings Institution and the Harvard Kennedy School.