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To: luv2ski
Wow someone believes a faculty member at Duke railroads their kid yet:

I have a son who is a freshman this fall, and I am going to make sure that he is not assigned classes with any of these 88 professors.

I have a clue for this parent, DONT SEND YOUR KID TO DUKE. That makes it close to 100% that they will not take course from one of the 88. As a side benefit, this will give Duke an incentive to reform.
619 posted on 10/25/2006 11:24:55 AM PDT by JLS
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To: JLS
There have been a lot of posts on this and other boards giving parents advice on whether to send their kid to or yank them out of Duke. In the end, these decisions are complicated and based on more than just an incident, even as egregious as this one.
My son is a sophomore at Duke and loves the school. He has wonderful friends, has taken some amazing classes and is enjoying living in a completely different part of the country (we are West).
He knows bias when he sees it (he even had one of the 88 lst year and saw through him immediately) and we have discussed on many occasions, issues portrayed in the media unfairly. He knows what I believe and agrees with me most of the time. In my opinion, that is the best I can do. He is the 3rd child of 4. All of them are conservative and see the bias on the MSM and in their schools.
Frankly, bias is rampant in all colleges. It's like trying to find conservatives in journalism!
So- pulling my child out of a school he loves b/c of 88 professors (that he can avoid) makes no sense to me. It's what my mother used to call "throwing the baby out with the bath water". It would also likely solve nothing as anyplace he would transfer to would be just as bad or worse.
622 posted on 10/25/2006 11:54:57 AM PDT by luv2ski
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To: JLS
I have been discussing this very subject with some posters on the Durham-in Wonderland board. This is what I replied to one of them yesterday when he/she suggested my son transfer:

As a parent, you take a risk whenever you let your child out of your sight. Kids have died from alcohol poisoning, car accidents, and crime while away at college. I raised bright children with good sense. I have to, at some point, trust them to live their lives responsibly. Two of my older children went to school in Boston and LA respectively: not exactly "safe" cities either. Frankly, leaving Duke is a type of "Cut and Run" attitude in my opinion. I would rather stay and fight- support the Duke 3. Plus, you should understand that the "pot banger" students are in the minority on Duke's campus. The Chronicle's survey on the topic showed that an overwhelming majority (I think 90% but I can't remember the exact number) support the 3 boys. People have been screaming about liberals on college campuses for years. Yale had to return a $20 million gift from the Bass family (given in 1991) years ago b/c they did not institute a Western Civ program as had been designated in the donation. Political correctness got its start and thrives on college campuses. David Horowitz wrote a book "The Professors" about the 101 worst professors at colleges nationwide. I could go on and on. Are we trying to affect change? Of course! Let's get serious, though! PC is not going to disappear anytime soon, that's for sure. Do you think the government is suddenly going to become efficient? My point is that this is deeply ingrained in the academic culture. It is going to take a long time to change- possibly waiting for this generation of aged hippies to pass on through.

623 posted on 10/25/2006 11:59:41 AM PDT by luv2ski
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To: JLS
Judging by the faculty web pages, most of these people would behave in exactly the same way. Glass house meet stones...

African American Studies Program

Center for African Studies

Department of African and Asian Languages and Literature

Department of Anthropology

Asian Studies Program

Criminality Law and Society

English

History

Center for Latin America Studies

Philosophy

Political Science

Religion

Romance Languages and Literatures

Sociology

Center for Women's Studies

This is only the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I'll bet The College of Education, The College of Fine Arts, The College of Journalism and Communication, College of Law, and the College of Public Health and Health Professions harbor many similar people.
624 posted on 10/25/2006 12:02:45 PM PDT by Locomotive Breath (In the shuffling madness)
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