SMU Faculty Members Oppose Bush Library

[kpete]

SMU Faculty Members Oppose Bush Library
Some SMU Faculty Members Don't Want President Bush's Library on Campus


DALLAS Jan 12, 2007 (AP)— Negotiations to build George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University have divided the campus, pitting the administration and some alumni against members of the liberal-leaning faculty who say the project would be an embarrassment to the school.

Some professors have complained that the combined library, museum and think tank would celebrate a presidency that unnecessarily took the country into a war.

The fear is that the library "will continue to espouse the philosophy and practice of the Bush administration, which has seriously divided our nation and has brought the ire of other countries," said William McElvaney, a retired professor at SMU's theology school and co-author a November opinion piece in the campus newspaper titled "The George W. Bush Library: Asset or Albatross?"

SMU emerged as the front-runner in the competition last month when the library site selection committee said it was entering further discussions with the 11,000-student, private university in one of Dallas's wealthiest neighborhoods. The project will be financed with a private fund drive aimed at raising at least $200 million.

MORE AT:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2791433

[durtee librul]

1. Personally,

I don't see how a library could cost so much unless the crayons keep melting.....must be for pretzels and beer?

All kidding aside, a library for him? Let his rich 'base' buy some land somewhere and build it for him. They orchestrated all this now let 'em pay for their 'boy'.

[Iris]

3. I may be mistaken, but I think all former Presidents have a library.

[immoderate]

4. Since Hoover.

The libraries are hooked into the national archives.

--IMM

[ReadTomPaine]

5. Many aren't 'libraries' in the traditional sense, some are almost a form of think tank...

and are about considerably more than just books on a shelf.

I'm glad to see there is some opposition to this. Bush's years in office need to be painted as the black hole of modern American politics. Get too close, and you're sucked in, never to be seen in government again.

[William Seger]

7. Yeah, here's a though: Screw the tradition

... at least until the next president.

[ReadTomPaine]

8. Sounds good to me. Bush never met an institution he's respected, so returning the favor ...

seems fair play.

It would be nice for him to be the sole modern president without one, wouldn't it?

[Iris]

2. Two quotes from the story:

<The fear is that the library "will continue to espouse the philosophy and practice of the Bush administration, which has seriously divided our nation and has brought the ire of other countries," said William McElvaney, a retired professor at SMU's theology school and co-author a November opinion piece in the campus newspaper titled "The George W. Bush Library: Asset or Albatross?">

and proof of the divisiveness referred to above:

<As for the students, Luis Arango, a 21-year-old junior and political science major, said on campus Friday: "This school has a very conservative vibe, and most of the students like Bush. The only people who don't seem to be the faculty. I know for a fact that some are real liberal and I don't think should be teaching here.">

Because someone has opinions different from the "very conservative vibe," they shouldn't even be there?

[UrbScotty]

6. $200 MILLION????? That's $50 million per book!! (nt)

[Iris]

9. My, your math skills are stupendous, ih8thgop!

LMAO!