[SJackson]

Backus, Dencil K.
Department: Department of Communication Studies
Position: Assistant Professor
E-Mail: backus@cup.edu

[Onelifetogive]

Of course, sometimes those political biases inappropriately make their way into the classroom, as has recently occurred at my school, California University of Pennsylvania

Well, DUH!!!

What is their slogan...

California University of Pennsylvania...Bringing California values to the Amish...

[Glenn]

Some things never change. Ego-laden college profs are a prime example.

[Tijeras_Slim]

The guy ought to conduct Show Trials.

[Fixit]

http://www.cup.edu/ugcatalog/Faculty.htm

Dencil K. Backus.
Appointed to position 1983
Assistant Professor in Communication Studies.

A.B., Glenville State College

M.A., West Virginia University

[Always Right]

A professor imposes leftist activism as a course assignment.

No way. What are they gonna tell me next, a bear craps in the woods?

[NittanyLion]

I'd suggest you begin elevating the issue, always being very polite. Email the professor your concerns and cc. the department head. Failing resolution, email the university president. If the university had a code of conduct, you may be able to reference that and show that it's being violated in this case.

Be persistant and polite, is my advice. But don't let it remain at the level of merely this professor.

[Rodney King]

I've been the victim of many left wing professors, and I have to tell you that I don't see this as that bad. In fact, I think its a damn good assignment, and one that the student ought to see as a challenge. The hardest part about a PR job is not the slam-dunk cases, it's the times when not only is the case complicated, but where you as the PR man personally disagree with the position that is the right one for the organization that you represent.

[Teacher317]

Actually, if your assignments are to be shared in class, I think it would be a WONDERFUL opportunity to lampoon their ideology, his assignment, and promote a different line of thinking. Simply take quotes, ideas, and pics from MoveOn.org, and show them for what they are, and how they don't work in the real world.

It's done on FR all the time. My personal favorite is how the Left promotes Diversity as our greatest strength... except when it comes to a diversity of income, wealth, ideas, world governments (all should be Socialist and obedient to the UN), opinions on race, opinions on marriage, opinions presented IN YOUR CLASS, etc. Then cite the Bakke decision from Cal, where SCOTUS said "to treat people the same, we must treat them differently". Have FUN with it! Liberals are SO easy to lampoon, just using their own words!

You'll still get your F in all likelihood, but you'll get your message across to the class much more effectively. THEN take your case to the Administration.

[pdlglm]

cc your local newspaper.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Leftism on campus ping!!!!!

[APFel]

I've had my share of leftie professors myself. Whacko JFK conpiratists, EuroGreens, leftist social snipers, pseudo- "pro-rights" nutjobs who think teaching minorities academic English is racist... (Paraphrase: "Who cares if Afro-Americans can't construct a sentence. If you can understand them, that is what is important!" This philosophy will guarantee that more janitors and burger flippers will have four year degrees.)

But your prof is right on one thing. Sometimes you have to dance like an organ grinder's monkey in order to make it through, just like in the "real world." I decided early on that I would keep a low political profile on campus until I graduate and do some real "damage" as a lawyer or a professor myself as I believe that the right is underrepresented in these two fields.

Good luck in the future.

APf

[pseudo-ignatius]

Am I the only one to whom this doesn't seem so bad? The title is a little misleading--I was expecting an assignment to counter-protest against pro-lifers at an abortion clinic or to join in a gay-pride parade. Unless part of the assignment is actually going out and actively promoting a leftist agenda (instead of just writing a paper about how one would do so), then I don't see such a problem. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what's called for in the assignment, but the article doesn't make that clear--designing a campaign and executing a campaign are two different things. Either way...

Is it a dumb assignment? Sure. But if one is working in PR, one is probably going to have to occasionally use rhetoric to make dumb things look slightly less dumb. Obviously one shouldn't, in PR, ever support things that go against one's conscience, but in this case one seems to be building a hypothetical campaign rather than a real one. It is actually quite useful to take the time to understand how an opponent would argue a particular point--and indeed, to know the argument better than one's opponent. There's no reason that the student couldn't have finished the assignment, as it was assigned, and attached a note stressing that he did not actually agree with MoveOn's position, but still could see how they would build a campaign to achieve their purpose.

[Oatka]

The student will probably get nicked on this as, ON THE SURFACE, it appears to be on par with a debating class having the student defend the opposite side.

Here, however, the prof's bias is clear, otherwise he would have the left-leaning students write a P/R for CBS and the right-wing for MoveOn.

Maybe the student could claim bias since no one was asked to promote CBS's stand.

[asformeandformyhouse]

Email David Horowitz at frontpagemag.com. He might be interetested in this.

[asformeandformyhouse]

Okay, now I see this is where you got the article. Little slow today. Sorry.