Right to decide?

[Paul Mather]

On Wed, Nov 19, 2003 at 06:24:26PM +0000, M Holmes wrote:

=> So what proportion of academics are Republicans where you are?

To be honest, I don't know.  Faculty are not required to divulge
political affiliations upon employment, nor should they, IMHO.

=> Why are
=> there "diversity issues" where you are if there's no problem?

The "diversity issues" are an unfortunate statistical fact.  We are
underrepresented in faculty hiring of ethnic minorities compared to
the proportions of those same minorities in the student body.  So,
there is an effort to try and address that imbalance.

=> Why would
=> they need "diversity forums"?

By my perspective, the "diversity forums" were to placate the local
media, who seem to latch onto stories like little terriers and make a
big deal out of them.  (This is not to say that vocal minorities also
do not play the media for their own ends.)  So, it seems the forums
are to ensure that everything is "above board" and people are being
allowed their say.

Also playing into it are several underhanded moves by the Board of
Governors, who passed some measures by fiat in closed session that
angered quite a few on campus (one such being the pre-vetting
requirement).  There was also the high-profile (for our campus) case
where they reversed a decision regarding faculty hiring after they
discovered the person was gay.  That didn't seem to go down very well
with the department that wanted to do the hiring.  So, all these BOG
shenanigans created an atmosphere of "demand" for these forums.

=> Do First Amendment rights hold for
=> everyone anywhere on campus or are there "speech codes" concerning
=> things people aren't permited to say?

They hold for everyone, so far as I know (modulo perhaps that vague
"promotion of terrorism" gubbins I mentioned before, but that may be a
more general law now than a campus regulation).

I think, too, if you maybe stood up in Diff.Eq. class to give a
lengthy treatise of how, like totally cool, Britney Spears' latest
video and album are, you might be asked to shut up/leave, so there may
be some limits on First Amendment rights (which, as I'm sure you know,
are modified in an educational setting). :-)

I'd actually dub our student body as being more conservative,
certainly going by the campus newspaper letters page. :-)

=> Where are you?

Virginia Tech, a.k.a. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, b.k.a. one of those scoundrels who jumped ship from the
Big East for the Big Bucks of the ACC. ;-)

(We're Michael Vick's former school.  Oh, wait a minute, you're
British.  That'll mean nothing to you.;)

It's (I believe) the largest publicly-funded four-year college in
Virginia, and is located in Blacksburg, Virginia.  I think it has
about 25000+ currently-enrolled students.  It's probably best known
for its engineering programme (and its vet med college).  Its
biotechnology centre is also gaining recognition.  (BTW, the partners
to the company that cloned "Dolly the Sheep" are based at the
Corporate Research Center, I believe.)  Very recently, we installed a
cluster supercomputer that currently ranks as #3 fastest in the world.
There is an on-campus Corps of Cadets with three active ROTC
programmes.  One of our cadets was killed in the recent Iraqi
invasion.

=> > Now if you want to talk about loony, why not have a butchers at "No
=> > Child Left Behind," where children are mandated not to be sick because
=> > perfect attendance is required to be in compliance... :-\
=>
=> I haven't been following that programme. Got a reference I could look at?

The official government site is at http://www.nclb.gov.  (Remember,
though, when it comes to compliance, the devil is in the details.:)
Like most things, I'd say it is a curate's egg.  Having observed the
standards kick they've been on here in Virginia with the
Commonwealth's "Standards of Learning" (SOL), I'd say when it comes
down to the crunch they'll lower the bar (and other creative ways to
remain certified) when schools begin flunking en masse.  So much for
accountability; it's only important to maintain the *appearance* of
accountabilty here. :-)

=> Not what I said and I'm pro free speech for everyone from Stalinist
=> Communist right through to the National Front.  Still, do you know of
=> any bills going through Congress to increase the number of leftwingers
=> in Academia? Do you think there's a shortage?

Sorry about the mischaracterisation, Mike.  As for the numbers of
left/right wingers, my view is that faculty should focus on teaching
and not have to inject politics or declare a political affiliation.
If political quotas are deemed necessary by the current Congress, I
feel that's a sad day for us all.  (Besides, how do you measure this?
Do you have to be registered with an approved political party to be
able to count against the quota?  Wouldn't that be a Closed Shop?  Do
we go back to the loyalty oaths that were once de rigeur even unto the
1970s?)

I do have a sneaking feeling that the apparent push in the current
Congress to increase the numbers of right-wingers in academia might be
coincidentally allied with the current makeup of said Congress.

Besides that, surely if students, etc. wanted more right-wingers in
faculty positions it would be reflected in their spending^Whiring
patterns... ;-)

(Sorry, thanks to you, that's now my catch-all answer to everything.:)

Cheers,

Paul.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa