Members of Wisconsin Legislature going after academic freedom

[Greybnk48]

Here are excerpts from a recent email we all received in the UW system.

2005 Assembly Joint Resolution 15

February 17, 2005--Introduced by Representatives Nass, Kreibich, Zepnick, Owens, LeMahieu, Gunderson, Montgomery, Lothian, Vos, Suder, Kleefisch, Strachota, Pridemore, Kerkman, Van Roy, McCormick, Vukmir,Meyer, J. Fitzgerald, Hahn and Stone, cosponsored by Senators Grothman, Harsdorf, Brown, Leibham, Kedzie, Lazich and Kapanke. Referred to Committee on Rules.


In the first bit on this proposed Resolution they are railing against Churchill's speech in Co. and his anti-American rhetoric.
They conclude:

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin legislature condemns the anti-American hate speech promoted by Professor Ward L. Churchill: recommends strongly that the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater cancel Professor Churchill's speech on March 1, 2005; AND REQUESTS THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS TO CONDUCT A REVIEW OF HIRING AND TENURE PROCEDURES TO DETERMINE IF APPROPRIATE POLICIES EXIST TO PREVENT THE HIRING AND, IF NECESSARY, THE TIMELY DISMISSAL OF FACULTY FAILING TO MEET HONORABLE ACADEMIC STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EXPECTED BY STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TAXPAYERS...

Academic freedom may soon be a thing of the past if we are not vigilant.

[madrchsod]

1. anti american rhetoric

hmmm...freedom of speech...freedom of inquiry...freedom to exchange ideas...freedom to disagree...freedom to agree.

[rodeodance]

2. would you have a link please?

[Greybnk48]

3. It was an email that was distributed last week by our Dean

I printed out the body of the email to show my husband. I can try to post the email in its entirety tomorrow from campus.

[Divernan]

4. Wisconsin-home of "Tail Gunner Joe" McCarthy

For you younger DUers, McCarthy was the alcoholic, witch hunting, red baiting Senator from Wisconsin who held the McCarthy hearings smearing many innocent people. He was a threat to academic freedom who was only stopped when he also started attacking the US Army, and pissed off Dwight Eisenhower.

[ewagner]

5. Linked to "Academic Bill of Rights"

I heard the student from UWSP on Kathleen Dunn's show yesterday moringi talking about the "Academic Bill of Rights".

Those poor conservative students are being discriminated upon by those big, mean, bullying liberal professors. They want to be able to discipline anybody who doesn't agree with them. This has NOTHING to do with American values. It has everything to do with conservatives getting a hammer to hold over the head of the academic community.

[Jimbo S]

12. What about those of us

who took engineering and business classes? Taught to just plug the numbers in the equation to make the most money possible. Nothing intinsic counts.

You never hear the RW talkers mention this side of academia.

[Viking12]

6. I must have missed that one.

I did, however, receive this e-mail on the subject.

The following message is from Kevin Reilly, President of the UW System and Jack Miller, Chancellor of UW-Whitewater:

An Open Letter to members of the Wisconsin Legislature:

With Assembly Joint Resolution 15 scheduled for a vote this week, we would like to provide useful background and rationale behind the difficult decision to allow the Ward Churchill lecture to continue at UW-Whitewater on March 1.

We fully appreciate your need to vote your conscience on this issue. Churchill's deeply offensive remarks about the victims of September 11 have caused outrage and we personally find the statements to be repugnant. But the university must follow its conscience, and its commitment to the principles of First Amendment freedom, in allowing the lecture to move forward. Please consider a few key points regarding this decision:

Ward Churchill was invited by a UW-Whitewater registered student organization called the Native American Cultural Awareness Association more than six months ago to be part of the group's annual "Native Pride Week." This invitation was extended long before the controversy erupted over his 9/11 remarks. The topic of his lecture is racism toward Native Americans - a topic he has spoken on, without incident, at dozens of universities around the country in recent years.
The university carefully addressed issues of funding support and security for the event. Absolutely no state general purpose revenue will be used to subsidize the lecture. All direct and indirect costs beyond $1,400 in student fees will be covered by private donations. The safety of the campus community is of the highest priority and we are working to develop and implement a security plan that is appropriate for the circumstances. A suggestion by some that the event be moved off university grounds would not only undermine security, it would pass the security costs of this lecture directly to taxpayers.
Finally, it is absolutely critical that universities maintain and protect the open forum that allows ideas to rise or fall on their own merit. Canceling this lecture in the aftermath of a controversy would in our opinion damage that environment. We have every faith in the students and staff of UW-Whitewater to make appropriate judgments about the value of this or any other public speech.
This decision was not made lightly, and was made only after counsel with faculty, student leaders, security staff and First Amendment experts. Chancellor Miller's statement about the decision - including six stipulations for allowing the event to continue - can be found at: http://www.uww.edu/npa/news_releases/story.php?id=691. President Reilly's statement of support can be found at: http://www.uww.edu/npa/news_releases/story.php?id=698

Thank you for your time and consideration as you deliberate AJR 15.

....and we liberal professors are not bullies, we're just correct :)

[sybylla]

7. Nice response from the UW System President

and Chancellor of UW-Whitewater. This is exactly what I would expect from them. This isn't any different than controversial speakers that have appeared at other campuses to address a variety of issues. And most often it has been the same old hue and cry from the same old closed minds.

My favorite part of the response:

Finally, it is absolutely critical that universities maintain and protect the open forum that allows ideas to rise or fall on their own merit. Canceling this lecture in the aftermath of a controversy would in our opinion damage that environment. We have every faith in the students and staff of UW-Whitewater to make appropriate judgments about the value of this or any other public speech.

Thanks for sharing this.

[mark414]

8. where's Bob LaFollette when you need him

i'm sure he's been rolling around in his grave for years now

[Greybnk48]

9. rodeodance--here's the link

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/AJR-15.pdf

Sorry for the delay.

[gizmo1979]

10. They have never read the constitution.

If we banned everyone we don't like from talking I'd never hear a republican voice again.hey that doesn't sound half bad naw even stupid people have rights.

[Archae]

11. Churchill is a phony and an asshole.

But he has the right to speak, the same way the BIGGER phony and asshole does. (Bush.)

[CatholicEdHead]

13. This is also going on in Minnesota

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5269299.html

"A national movement that supporters say protects college students from indoctrination by professors but that opponents say stifles debate and promotes a conservative agenda made its way to Minnesota on Wednesday. Two legislators unveiled legislation that they called the "Academic Bill of Rights."

Sen. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, and Rep. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, said their bill would require the state's publicly funded colleges and universities to adopt policies that would mandate that professors not use their classrooms to promote their personal political or ideological beliefs. It also says that students would not be punished for disagreeing with their instructors' politics.

While Bachmann, who has announced that she is a candidate for Congress, said the law would apply across the political spectrum, the focus nationally has been complaints from conservative students that left-wing professors have attempted to use their classrooms to indoctrinate young minds with liberal propaganda.

At a morning news conference, speakers included students and professors who talked of feeling punished for their conservative views. No speakers complained about conservative instructors.

Lawmakers in 21 other states have introduced similar bills, part of a national movement spearheaded by Students for Academic Freedom, a Washington-based student network founded by conservative activist David Horowitz."

[CatholicEdHead]

14. Look at how some students

in California are applying this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1633999&mesg_id=1633999