Posted on 02/15/2005 3:20:11 PM PST by swilhelm73
SYRACUSE, N.Y., February 15, 2005—Administrators at New York’s Le Moyne College, which claims to protect academic freedom, have summarily dismissed an education student for writing a paper advocating strict discipline for students. The chair of Le Moyne’s education department expelled master’s student Scott McConnell because of a “mismatch” between his personal beliefs and the goals of the college’s graduate education program.
“Le Moyne College says it respects academic freedom, yet it has dismissed a student purely for expressing personal beliefs that are different from those espoused by administrators,” stated David French, president of FIRE. “This shows a profound lack of respect for the opinions of its students. Le Moyne must not promise freedom and then allow extensive and arbitrary censorship on an administrator’s whim.”
In November 2004, McConnell submitted as part of an assignment a paper expressing his personal views on classroom management, including various ideas for attaining a classroom environment that is “based upon strong discipline and hard work” and that allows “corporal punishment.” The paper received an “A-,” with his professor noting that his ideas were “interesting” and that she had shared the paper with the department chair, Cathy Leogrande. McConnell ultimately received an “A” as his final grade in the course.
Yet in January 2005, with no prior warning, Leogrande dismissed McConnell from Le Moyne. In the dismissal letter, Leogrande stated that she had reviewed McConnell’s grades for courses he took during the summer and fall semesters and had “discussed” his work with his professors. Leogrande wrote, “I have grave concerns regarding the mismatch between your personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning and the Le Moyne College program goals. Based on this data, I do not believe that you should continue in the Le Moyne [Master of Science for Teachers] Program.” At the time he was dismissed, McConnell had achieved a grade-point average of 3.78 for the fall semester and had received an “excellent” evaluation for his work in an actual classroom.
“Scott McConnell is being kicked out of school for an ‘A-’ paper,” noted FIRE’s French. “It appears that at Le Moyne, ideological uniformity trumps any other ideal.”
McConnell soon contacted FIRE for assistance. On February 3, FIRE wrote Le Moyne President Charles Beirne and reminded him that dismissing a student based solely on his expression would undermine the college’s own standards, which state that students who interfere with others’ expression are subject to “the maximum penalty of suspension or dismissal.” FIRE noted that making an arbitrary administrative decision to censor expression “sends the message to the campus community that official censorship is acceptable and that those with controversial ideas should keep silent or risk being deemed a ‘mismatch’ and summarily dismissed.” Furthermore, FIRE pointed out that Le Moyne’s acceptance letter to McConnell stated that his academic performance, not his personal beliefs, would be the determining factor as to whether he was allowed to continue with the master’s program.
On February 8, Le Moyne responded to FIRE, stating that “the College does not believe it is appropriate to enter a public debate with your organization concerning the College’s admission decision concerning any particular student.”
“The fight for the academic freedom of Scott McConnell and for all Le Moyne students will not end just because administrators don’t feel like addressing the issue,” remarked Greg Lukianoff, FIRE’s director of legal and public advocacy. “Le Moyne College administrators must learn that the freedom to dissent is everyone’s business.”
FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation’s colleges and universities. FIRE’s efforts to preserve liberty on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org.
My contempt for school administrators grows stronger every day. I don't know if there's a more arrogant, dumb and hostile group of people out there. They make the MSM seem positively virtuous.
Shocking, I I know, but there is no support for Ward Churchill at FIRE's website. Strange, given their mission statement:
The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's increasingly repressive and partisan colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience -- the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE's core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them.
OK. /sarcasm off
This truly is remarkable. While I often had disagreements with professors on political issues more than not I was able to continue to get along well with them and agree to disagree. In some instances I might have feared a lower grade than I deserved because of a political disagreement, but it never crossed my mind a student could be thrown out of school for an expressed opinion. Is this a private school? Is there anything within the school's code of conduct that says "If you support corporal punishment we will kick you to the curb" or something similar?
spoke too soon about the churhill affair.
sorry.
the column i read abhors ward's comments but defends his right to make them.
Funny what totally intolerant fascists the so called "liberals" are. Why am I not surprised.
Yup these are the same people that vote for Hillary....no suprise there
FIRE is great. They have fought for 1) a conservative student here in So Cal who was FORCED to write to Bush and tell him War in Iraq was wrong (or to get an F)(teacher had to apologize, write to Bush and apologize, etc.); 2) went to legal bat for a student at San Luis Obispo who posted a flyer advertising a book about blacks 'getting off the plantation' - the student was dropped from the U. It is a great organization, feisty and clear-thinking, and they are working wonders for conservatives who don't bow to the PC University administrators.
The headline says dismiss, I am sorry I never went to college , is that the same as expulsion? I realise you dismiss those who work for you but how can you dismiss someone who pays to attend your school.
"You too can have the Le Moyne experience for only some $20,000/year. If it doesn't work out, you can always say, "I got 'LeMoyned!'" -- Sherrie Gossett
Apparantly, her professor liked the paper, and even said it was "interesting". It was the department chair who ousted the student.
Ed school department chairs are often "queen bees" and function these days as ideological gatekeepers to careers in education. A student's ideology must be perceived as either liberal or not threatening to liberals in order to complete an ed school program. The usual way for conservative teacher credential candidates to be discouraged is by giving failing grades in washout courses such as multiculturalism or student teaching, which are extremely subjective in nature and difficult to appeal. Grade appeals are dismissed on the basis of "philosophical disagreements" between students and professors. Such "philosophical disagreements" are apparently not covered by college / university "academic freedom" and policies of "diversity" and "non-discrimination."
Evidence in this case is in an exquisite position for a lawsuit. The administrator's motive is revealed. It could only be an ideological basis for the expulsion from the graduate school. The honesty of the class teacher in giving him good grades can be thanked for this.
The school will try to stonewall it by demanding the right for the administration to make an "academic decision" rather than leave that to the courts. The student should be able to show that there is no reasonable basis for the action of the administrator.
Since it is a private school the real question is whether the court will take the case. Some research would have to be done in order to get the student's complaint before the court. Perhaps further administrative steps within the university's structure would expose how there is a breach of implied or expressed contract here. Students do not go into this program with the knowledge that they are submitting themselves to the ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS decisions of department chairmen to so interfere in the evaluation process of students and their work.
Le Moyne College subscribes fully to all applicable federal and state legislation and regulations (including the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”); the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Age Discrimination Act; and the New York State Human Rights Law) regarding discrimination. The College does not discriminate against students, faculty, staff or other beneficiaries on the basis of race, color, gender, creed, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, or national or ethnic origin in admission to, or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities. Le Moyne College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. For further information contact the College’s Age Act, Title IX, and Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Assistant Vice President for Student Development and Multicultural Affairs, 315-445-4525 (voice), 315-445-4767 (facsimile).
http://www.lemoyne.edu/student_life/Student_Handbook.pdf
That typically (my impression only, IANAL) doesn't cover intellectual diversity of the type displayed by the student and apparently held in question by the ed school department chair. But the following excerpt of LeMoyne faculty handbook (pointed to by the Volokh Conspiracy) might:
The following regulations are designed to enable the College to protect academic freedom and the requirements of academic due process. The principles implicit in these regulations are for the benefit of all who are involved with or are affected by the policies and programs of the institution. A college or university is a marketplace of ideas, and it cannot fulfill its purposes of transmitting, evaluating, and extending knowledge if it requires conformity with any orthodoxy of content and method. In the words of the United States Supreme Court, "Teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die."
http://www.lemoyne.edu/faculty_senate/rank_tenure/FacultyHandbook/08_FreedomAndTenure.html
So I would imagine the student might have some basis for action based on breach of contract in the spirit of the above extract from the faculty handbook...
I wonder how much in the way of assets this school has?
I would be looking to own it all!
Well said.
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