Christian groups demand right to discriminate on campus. Will racists be next?

This story has been all over the news in the last few weeks and I have been meaning to make a comment, so here it is:

Christian groups are pushing very hard to force universities to give recognition and funding to them. They want access to university facilities and money, but want to be able to restrict membership to those who believe as they do.

They argue that it is a violation of their right to free assembly not to have access to university facilities and seem to have found a judge in southern illinois that agrees with them.

They should ask themselves if this isn't a slippery slope. Will they sit idly by when a racist group decides to ask for university recognition for a group that will exclude all people of color? How about groups that exclude everyone of a different gender? Are these okay too?

The university anti-discrimination rules are meant to make campuses a welcoming place--I suppose if we want our universities to be filled with little gated, frightened communities that refuse to admit one another, as some Christian groups demand, we are headed down the right path.

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 08/11/2006 | Official apologizes for mishandling Knights of Columbus announcement

Standardized testing coming our way?

The federal panel that has been studied higher education issued its report today. It seems as though there was little agreement, except for the idea that we are unaccountable.

Many seemed to think that standardized testing would solve the problem of college standards. Since the current administration loves standardized testing for k-12, can it be long before we see legislation aimed in this direction?



Panel’s Report Urges Higher Education Shake-Up - New York Times

Profs are responsible for grade inflation, says this writer

Here is another article discussing the problems of grade inflation. He argues that we are shirking our duties by succumbing to the ease of giving lots of Bs.

He does raise the real issue of collective action, but can't provide any solution, suggesting only that we have lost public confidence because of our dropping standards.

There is a lot of truth in what Mr. Gordon has to say, but it doesn't address the real outside pressures on us from administrators and students.


The Chronicle: 8/11/2006: When B's Are Better

Survey says some are suspicious about 9-11

As the Barrett story continues to make national news, the Journal-Sentinal ran a story that reports a survey that more than 1/3 of those polled had suspicions about the U.S. government's role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

This story was matched by an a-p story (which also ran in the Northwestern) describing a few members of the group of which Barrett is a member.



JS Online:Survey says some are suspicious about 9-11

Another take on Rate my professors. com

Here is another impression about ratemyprofessors.com, as it seems to generate endless discussion about the anonymous comments.

Is it really like being a contestant on American Idol?

Inside Higher Ed :: RateMyProfessors -- or His Shoes Are Dirty

Barrett saga continues to bubble

Google aggregated a whole series of news stories about Barrett. I hadn't been paying much attention, but my earlier post about the end to the saga were clearly premature.

61 legislators have signed a letter demanding Barrett be fired and are threatening funding for the system:
(Here is one version of the story)

Not surprisingly, Bill O'Reilly is using his show to attack Barrett and the UW (Here is the link)

In some sort of e-mail campaign, Barrett challenged UW-hater Steve Nass to a debate about 9/11, which Nass called 'silly' (This link)


Madison professors respond to Fish and others:
The Capital Times

Make room for our students

The Journal Sentinal makes a plea for more money for higher education in Wisconsin. They, of course, emphazize that UW-Milwaukee should get more, but the point is well taken!



JS Online:Editorial: Make room for our students

Stanley Fish on Barrett

The NYT (reg. required) published an editorial by Stanley Fish today, arguing that both sides are incorrect in their positions about academic freedom.

He argues that the key issue is freedom to do your job without external interference--in this case objectively studying the causes of 9/11--but no freedom for prostyletizing.

Sexism in science

I really enjoyed this interview with a scientist who had a sex change operation -- from man to woman -- who discusses the casual mistreatment of women students by their instructors!

Here is the link from the sunday NYT (bugmenot.com)

Barrett saga over for now

I have a feeling the Barrett story has come to an end as of yesterday. The Provost at Madison made the proper decision (and the only one he could and still maintain any vestige of academic integrity), which was to say that he wasn't going to censor Barrett's class based on his out of class comments.

This will fade away until the next funding cycle, when the anti-UW crowd will use it to whip up support for more cuts--why not punish students and the state's future for comments of one instructor?



Wisconsin State Journal

Barrett defends his theory in Milwaukee

The journal sentinal gives play to Barrett's speech in Milwaukee, and lists a few of the reasons he thinks 9/11 was an inside job.


JS Online:Lecturer denounces critics of his 9-11 teachings

Bad Boys in College

The NYTimes (Reg. required) ran a long article in the Sunday paper about underachieving college men.

Women are generally outperforming men academically in college, while increasing their relative numbers.

The 'men are slackers' is the new cultural theme at the moment. The recent movie, "Failure to Launch" makes the same kind of argument.

I am not sure there is anything to it, but it is an interesting new angle of reporting.

At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust - New York Times

Barrett's letter to Doyle

Here is the text of the letter.

He lists all of his favorite conspiracy theories in his "questionaire" that accompanies the short note.

WisPolitics.com

The story gets richer -- 9/11 instructor strikes back

This story gets ever better -- the instructor wrote a sarcastic letter to Doyle -- and is going to be ever more inflammatory.

He seems to be happy with the publicity he is generating, but it is bad for the rest of us. . .

Wisconsin State Journal

Student complaints about Professors

I found this interesting site--you can read about student complaints about the "indoctrination" they received from their professors.

It contains one-sided student views from all sorts of disciplines and makes amusing reading, if you are looking for a little break!

NoIndoctrination.org

Latest UW ideological controversy

I saw this on the news last week, but didn't have a good internet link to it.

A Madison PhD and temporary instructor is planning on teaching a course, which may include his view that the government was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

It is the standard right-wing fare--how dare anyone question the Bush administration and official versions of history.

Read about the UW haters, who claim that this isn't about academic freedom . . .

More bad press for UW system

Inside Higher Ed :: Investigation Over 9/11 Teachings

No Axle-Tech news

The Northwestern ran a non-story about Axletech and the university this morning.

Perhaps this is part of the river-front (non)redevelopment theme, since a university building on the Fox would probably be nicer than the axle factory.

It is also part of the planning process for our new acadmenic building. If Axletech remains where it is, the new building will not go in the location where the adminstrators would like it.

Oshkosh Northwestern - AxleTech negotiations 'silent'

New administrator to be hired??

Anonymous commenter to an earlier threat posted the information that the chancellor is preparing to hire a new administrator. This person will be "a marketing communication person (a new position) underneath the foundation director and above the university relations director." (from the comment)

Can this really be true? In these times of cuts and faculty vacancies, can our leadership believe that we would benefit by hiring another paper-pusher?

Tthere needs to be some outrage and angry protest before we let our resources be squandered like this!!!!

We are "risk-averse, frequently self-satisfied, and unduly expensive"!

The national commission on higher education issued a draft report, slamming universities a few days ago. The writers describe us essentially as a failing business that needs radical restructuring to continue.

I haven't read the whole report, but it seems like a pretty nasty attack . . . .
Inside Higher Ed :: Prose and Politics

Accreditation: A Flawed Proposal

Here is an interesting commentary about the accreditation process. It raises the much broader issue of the problems of higher education.

Professionals want to use accreditation to increase institutions standards, but the general public wants those standards to be lowered. He argues that the public wants to see their children get in and through the university without too much struggle. Higher standards make that more difficult.

The author makes a very interesting point and one to take note of as we prepare ourselves for another round of accredition that is upcoming.


Inside Higher Ed :: Accreditation: A Flawed Proposal