How Our College Leaders “Cull the Herd”. A firing at Bakersfield College shows that tenure is no match for leftist orthodoxy.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | May 26, 2023 | George Leef

[karpov]

Every so often, one of our college leaders blurts out the truth about their feelings and beliefs. In their public pronouncements, they always try to appear reasonable, when they’re actually intolerant and belligerent.

That’s exactly what happened at Bakersfield College (BC) in California.

The story begins in 2021, when a group of faculty members at the school, disturbed at the inroads the DEI movement was making, formed the Renegade Institute for Liberty (RIL). Their purpose was “to promote diversity of thought and intellectual literacy through free and open discussion of American ideals including civil, economic, and religious freedom.” That amounted to waving a red flag in front of the DEI bull, since diversity zealots have no use for any of those concepts.

The conflict erupted last October at a meeting of the BC Equal Opportunity & Diversity Advisory Committee. History professor Matthew Garrett, who has tenure, voiced his opposition to a “racial-climate survey” on the grounds that it had been poorly done and was a weak justification for the creation of a new diversity task force that would undercut the authority of the existing committee.

An interesting detail is that members of RIL had succeeded in obtaining some of the seats on that committee by applying for them at midnight on the first day they came open. The DEI community at BC was furious, but the tactic was perfectly legitimate.

Professor Garrett had previously incurred the wrath of the BC administration. In 2019, he criticized it for improperly allocating funds, naming several of the individuals involved. BC hit back at him with an “investigation” and by alleging that he had engaged in “unprofessional conduct.” That led him to file a lawsuit over the school’s retaliation against him, which is currently pending in federal court.

[Scrambler Bob]

History professor Matthew Garrett, who has tenure
= = =

I see his problem =

“HIS”tory.

Should be Herstory, or Themsotory, or some such.

[Verginius Rufus]

Bakersfield College is a community college. I don’t know if that means that tenured faculty have less protection than tenured faculty at four-year institutions.

[No name given]

‘I see his problem =

“HIS”tory.

Should be Herstory, or Themsotory, or some such.’

Some folks have way too much time on their hands!

[rottndog]

Tenure, at University or Community College, is irrelevant if the Nazis want you gone.

[DeplorablePaul]

This is an example of Red Guard mob rule. The prof is only guilty of being a white guy. Back in the day the left fought for free speech for communists. Now that the communists are in charge, white guys are persecuted and their civil rights trampled.

Defund public education now! We have to burn the village to save it

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Sue all those school officials and staff involved, if only to make public their names, positions and salaries. Let decent parents of students know exactly who is doing what to their children’s’ education and money.

Also since public money is involved with this college, they should demand a complete audit of where it goes and what it is spent on. Are they paying outside leftists to attack conservative/free speech professors as well as to hire leftists to suppress free speech by putting out fake and defamatory charges against people the want to destroy.

Play the game the way you would in warfare - gather intelligence about your enemies, study their strategy & tactics, get documentation to support your position, make your strategy of counterattack a realistic one, then Attack with every legal weapon at your command, on all fronts, simultaneously, and relentlessly. Take no prisoners!!.