Saint Mary's punishes professor for choosing racist song

Contra Costa Times ^ | 4/26/10 | Matt Krupnick

[SmithL]

MORAGA — Saint Mary's College has punished a singing instructor, who is the brother of a college trustee, for his choice to use a song that uses racist terms in a voice class last month.

College leaders said Monday the incident called into question Louis Lebherz's future at the school. The musician already has been forced to apologize to the class and to complete diversity training, said Beth Dobkin, the college's provost.

Lebherz, an artist in residence at Saint Mary's, had been asked to teach classes this year, Dobkin said. His choice to use the original version of the show tune "Old Man River," which refers to slaves and African-Americans in derogatory terms, will affect his employment,

[Mila]

Upon reading the article it's hard for me to determine if the student could have actually thought the teacher was trying to be insulting or if he, the student, is just casting himself in the role of race martyr. I'm thinking that it's the latter.

Even after the school responded in what I deem to be a more than sufficient manner, Mr.Youngblood is still not satisfied and would like to see the Mr. Lebherz fired. I suppose if he really had his druthers he would like to see him drawn and quartered. I think it is time for this whiner to sit down and shut up.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Thoughtcrime doubleplusungood.

[abigkahuna]

Ok, I just went to my music library here on my comouter and listened to Frank Sinatra’s version of Ol Man River sung May 22nd at the Oakland Coliseum 1968 as a benefit for Hubert Humphrey for President. No where did I hear any offensive or derogatory terms. Did I miss something?

[Kenny Bunk]

It's not "Old Man River."

It's "Ole Man Riba."

I am now going through my library and burning all my Steven Foster Songbooks. To make amends, I may even vote for an African from another country.

[aruanan]

The WHOLE SHOW is anti-racism.

You can't find any better examples of stupidity than in academe from kindergarten on up.

[aruanan]

Here's the email and name of the dean of Liberal Arts:

Stephen Woolpert, Ph.D.
Dean for the School of Liberal Arts
woolpert@stmarys-ca.edu


Here is the Provost's picture and short bio:



Dr. Dobkin has a distinguished history in higher education as a faculty member and an academic leader. Previously, she served as Associate Provost of the University of San Diego and was a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies for 17 years. Dr. Dobkin has achieved national recognition for her research and teaching in the area of media and conflict. Her honors have included a fellowship in executive leadership with the American Council on Education.

Dr. Dobkin earned her doctorate in Rhetoric and Social Order and a master’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of Massachusetts, and received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Humboldt State University.

[Altura Ct.]

We should just start everything including our history from about 1975 forward. Wait, nope that won’t do. The Tea Parties are racist so we can’t even include history from today. How about we have no history except of course for that slavery thing.

If race is the criteria for what is and what isn’t acceptable eventually we will have to get rid of our founders and most history prior to 1950 or so.

[aruanan]

My email to the dean of Liberal Arts:

Hello,

I'm wondering how someone, such as your provost, with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric fails to realize that censoring an academic for using a famous song from a famous American musical that is sympathetic to anti-slavery sentiments and portrays the hard life of slaves makes all of academia look just plain stupid to the general public?

At best the actions of the school in this regard are thoughtless; at worst, reflexive and craven. Making this artist in residence "complete diversity training" is something right out of the Cultural Revolution of the PRC. Shame on Saint Mary's for permitting such an egregious assault on scholarship and bowing so readily to notions of political correctness.

[Nea Wood]

It amazes me how people are unable to say, “This is an old song, from a different era, when blacks were called darkies or whatever, but things are different now, and isn’t it interesting to look at the olden days?” It’s a lesson, it’s history. Why must everything be banned because it isn’t politically correct for the Year 2010? We’ve turned into a nation of overly sensitive, whining pansies.