Apparently the concept of academic freedom does not apply when the academic is writing Yelp reviews.
What's unusual about this story is that it marks a rare instance of the wet blanket of political correctitude being used to smother a non-white voice in the alleged interest of upholding the dignity of white folks. That's a departure from the sort of issues we have come to expect university administrators to hold back the academic freedom card on.
Dean Chu lost no time in issuing an appropriately grovelling apology.
Pity.
Showing posts with label academic freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label academic freedom. Show all posts
Monday, May 22, 2017
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Academic freedom still not dead in Canada
At least for those fortunate academics who are actually tenured, which is a fraction that gets a little smaller every year. Canada is still a few years behind the US in filling virtually all teaching posts with "adjuncts" or "sessionals," and God knows that "academic freedom" is a total non-starter for that crowd.
But for the lucky few on the grav.. oops, I mean the tenure track, the corpse of academic freedom rose zombie-like from the grave this week. John Montalbano, chair of the Board of Governors at UBC, fell on his sword for his perceived breech of the secret code of academic freedom.
Good!
This should give that .5% of the population who give a shit some cause for hope. Montalbano, who formerly made a living as a TV pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba (remember those genuine Corinthian leather seats?), got to be the chair of the board of governors at UBC for the same reason anybody gets to that spot at any Canadian university; political connections and the old-boy network.
If you've followed the story at all, UBC, one of Canada's premier institutions of higher learning, has been going through a spot of turmoil. It's most recent president, one Arvind Gupta, quit after just one year into a five year contract. That's not necessarily a big deal in my book; hell, I've quit jobs midway through the first day!
Anyway, some lowly plebe in the (tenured, fortunately for her) ranks had the gall to suggest that Gupta was pushed out because he was less than welcomed by the aforementioned old boys club with political connections. In short order Professor Jennifer Berdahl was visited not only by a couple of Vice-Presidents of this or the other thing, but by Chair of the Board of Governors, Mr. Montalbano himself!
Seems many well-paid noses were askew at her insinuation that Mr. Gupta was squeezed out of his job due to his outsider status. He was deemed not a made member of Canada's post-secondary illuminati.
On the face of it, I initially assumed there had to be less to the story than met the eye. After all, brownish folks with third-world names have held top-drawer posts at other big schools, like York and Western and Waterloo.
But maybe those schools just stuck that brownish person in that post to fly the flag of diversity in full public view, while behind the scenes, it was still the old boys calling the shots...
Who knows?
But for the lucky few on the grav.. oops, I mean the tenure track, the corpse of academic freedom rose zombie-like from the grave this week. John Montalbano, chair of the Board of Governors at UBC, fell on his sword for his perceived breech of the secret code of academic freedom.
Good!
This should give that .5% of the population who give a shit some cause for hope. Montalbano, who formerly made a living as a TV pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba (remember those genuine Corinthian leather seats?), got to be the chair of the board of governors at UBC for the same reason anybody gets to that spot at any Canadian university; political connections and the old-boy network.
If you've followed the story at all, UBC, one of Canada's premier institutions of higher learning, has been going through a spot of turmoil. It's most recent president, one Arvind Gupta, quit after just one year into a five year contract. That's not necessarily a big deal in my book; hell, I've quit jobs midway through the first day!
Anyway, some lowly plebe in the (tenured, fortunately for her) ranks had the gall to suggest that Gupta was pushed out because he was less than welcomed by the aforementioned old boys club with political connections. In short order Professor Jennifer Berdahl was visited not only by a couple of Vice-Presidents of this or the other thing, but by Chair of the Board of Governors, Mr. Montalbano himself!
Seems many well-paid noses were askew at her insinuation that Mr. Gupta was squeezed out of his job due to his outsider status. He was deemed not a made member of Canada's post-secondary illuminati.
On the face of it, I initially assumed there had to be less to the story than met the eye. After all, brownish folks with third-world names have held top-drawer posts at other big schools, like York and Western and Waterloo.
But maybe those schools just stuck that brownish person in that post to fly the flag of diversity in full public view, while behind the scenes, it was still the old boys calling the shots...
Who knows?
Saturday, February 28, 2015
U of T exposed!
Some solid investigative journalism at Canada's newspaper of record has revealed an ugly truth; Canada's leading institution of higher learning claims to respect "academic freedom!"
It's right there on page A19 of today's Globe and Mail. Unlike their truth-loving brethren a couple of hours up the 401, the heretics at the University of Toronto continue to employ an academic who preaches scepticism about the efficacy of vaccines.
In fact, the article quotes a University PR hack claiming the school is "committed to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech," if one can even imagine such a thing!
What's next?.. an all-out critique of Big Pharma?
It's right there on page A19 of today's Globe and Mail. Unlike their truth-loving brethren a couple of hours up the 401, the heretics at the University of Toronto continue to employ an academic who preaches scepticism about the efficacy of vaccines.
In fact, the article quotes a University PR hack claiming the school is "committed to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech," if one can even imagine such a thing!
What's next?.. an all-out critique of Big Pharma?
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Queen's University caves to Big Pharma, waves bye-bye to Academic Freedom
These days it is deemed headline worthy that six cases of measles have been discovered in Southern Ontario (pop. 9,000,000+).
When I was a kid in grade school, it was nothing if six kids in my class (pop. 28) got measles in the course of the school year.
In fact, pretty much everybody got measles or chicken pox or mumps somewhere in the course of their childhood. I had all three at one time or another, and I don't think that's anything unusual. Lots of kids had all three at one time or another.
Life went on.
Fast forward fifty years, and Queen's University has just deep-sixed adjunct professor Melody Torcolacci for spreading the heresy that vaccines may not be all that Big Pharma has cracked them up to be.
According to the story, one of Canada's most prestigious universities has taken this measure in response to the concerns of students upset by Professor Torcolacci's alleged dissemination of anti-vaccine propaganda.
Ya right!
Kind of reminds you of a certain Galileo chappie pilloried for spreading anti-Papist propaganda a few centuries ago.
I've had enough experience with post secondary education to know that university administrations don't give a shit for the sensitivities of their students, nor should they. That's a claim that rings false regardless in this case; university students in undergrad courses are preoccupied with planning their next kegger, not with expunging vaccine sceptics from the faculty.
Queen's University is banishing Professor Torcolacci because of pressure from vaccine manufacturers, not pressure from undergrads.
When I was a kid in grade school, it was nothing if six kids in my class (pop. 28) got measles in the course of the school year.
In fact, pretty much everybody got measles or chicken pox or mumps somewhere in the course of their childhood. I had all three at one time or another, and I don't think that's anything unusual. Lots of kids had all three at one time or another.
Life went on.
Fast forward fifty years, and Queen's University has just deep-sixed adjunct professor Melody Torcolacci for spreading the heresy that vaccines may not be all that Big Pharma has cracked them up to be.
According to the story, one of Canada's most prestigious universities has taken this measure in response to the concerns of students upset by Professor Torcolacci's alleged dissemination of anti-vaccine propaganda.
Ya right!
Kind of reminds you of a certain Galileo chappie pilloried for spreading anti-Papist propaganda a few centuries ago.
I've had enough experience with post secondary education to know that university administrations don't give a shit for the sensitivities of their students, nor should they. That's a claim that rings false regardless in this case; university students in undergrad courses are preoccupied with planning their next kegger, not with expunging vaccine sceptics from the faculty.
Queen's University is banishing Professor Torcolacci because of pressure from vaccine manufacturers, not pressure from undergrads.
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