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Furor Over an E-Mail [Daly to be fired?]
Inside Higher Ed.com ^ | November 21, 2005 | by Scott Jaschik

Posted on 11/21/2005 6:15:48 AM PST by aculeus

An e-mail sent to a student by an adjunct instructor at Warren County Community College has infuriated the student, conservative groups, and leaders of the college, where the board has scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the matter on Tuesday.

The e-mail was sent to Rebecca Beach, a freshman at the New Jersey college, who had sent an e-mail announcement to faculty members about a lecture she organized Thursday featuring a veteran of the war in Iraq talking (favorably) about the U.S. role there. John Daly, an adjunct instructor in English, sent an e-mail reply in which he said that he would ask students to boycott the lecture, and that “real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors and fight for just causes and for people’s needs.”

Daly also criticized Beach’s leadership of a campus chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, saying: “I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like yours won’t dare show their face on a college campus.”

Beach turned the e-mail over to the national office of Young Americans for Freedom, which published it on its Web site, and conservative commentators have since been demanding that Daly be fired. In an interview last night, Daly said that he was worried he would be fired Tuesday night and that he has already been told not to show up for the three classes he is scheduled to teach on Tuesday, the next day he would normally be on campus.

Daly said he stood by the e-mail message, but that it was being taken out of context. He said that the comment about soldiers turning their guns on their superiors was meant “in the most metaphoric sense.” Also, he said that because Beach was never one of his students and had sent the e-mail message from her personal e-mail account, he thought she was a Young Americans for Freedom organizer, and replied with that in mind. Daly said that if he had known he was writing to a freshman, he would not have changed the political ideas of his note, but would have used a different tone.

The college has issued three statements since the controversy broke — with support for Daly’s right to have sent the e-mail seeming to decline with each successive one. On Thursday, the statement pledged that the incident would be investigated as a personnel matter. But the statement noted that the e-mail had been sent from Daly’s personal account, had been sent to only one student, and that the statement did not reflect the views of the college as a whole.

Thursday’s statement also specifically noted Constitutional protections on controversial statements, quoting William Austin, Warren’s president, as saying: “I firmly believe every employee and student has First Amendment rights, no matter how repugnant I personally find Mr. Daly’s statements.”

On Thursday night, Austin went to the lecture Beach organized and personally welcomed her, the speaker — Lieut. Col. Scott Rutter — and audience members. In Friday’s statement, the college noted that the speech went off without any problems and added additional criticism of Daly, quoting Austin as saying that Daly’s e-mail was “disgraceful and offensive.”

In Saturday’s statement, the college announced that its board had scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday — noting that Tuesday was the first day such a meeting could legally be held. “The Board of Trustees intends to consider the welfare and rights of its students, the college community, and the public in lieu [sic] of recent events. The board will also consider personnel issues,” the statement said.

In the interview last night, Daly said it was entirely appropriate for him to criticize “a pro-war rally” and said more people should be outraged that military recruiters are able to attract the college’s students to enlist because they can’t afford to pay their college bills and can’t find good jobs when they graduate. “The YAF is trying to turn back affirmative action and to promote the war, and I have a right to speak out,” Daly said.

Daly said that he has been teaching at Warren County Community College for about a year and that he also teaches at another college, which he declined to name, given the current uproar.

The possibility that he might be fired, Daly said, reflects the lack of job security facing the increasing number of professors who work off the tenure track. “As more and more professors are teaching part time, this is a direct attack on our academic freedom,” he said.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: academia; communitycollege; johndaly; warrencounty; wccc
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To: aculeus
The possibility that he might be fired,

Possibility?

The coward talks about enlisted men KILLING the officers and its only a possibility?

This is the latest from the college web site

E-mail the President and demand that this coward be fired!!!

Dr. William Austin President (908) 689-7618 austin@warren.edu

For immediate release:

November 19, 2005 Warren County Community College to Hold an Emergency Meeting The Board of Trustees of Warren County Community College will convene an emergency meeting of the Board, Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at 6:30 PM. This meeting was called by Board Chair Edward Smith. The Board of Trustees intends to consider the welfare and rights of its students, the college community, and the public in lieu of recent events. The Board will also consider personnel issues. The college President, Dr. William Austin reiterates his statement that comments made by Mr. Daly are his own. The opinions Mr. Daly has expressed do not represent the views of the community college, administration, faculty, staff or students, nor do his views align with the college’s mission and core values. College President Dr. Austin said, “The Board of Trustees’ meeting is scheduled for the first legally available date.”

21 posted on 11/21/2005 6:25:34 AM PST by apackof2 (I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American. Daniel Webster)
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To: aculeus

" “I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like yours won’t dare show their face on a college campus.”"

"Daly said, reflects the lack of job security facing the increasing number of professors who work off the tenure track. “As more and more professors are teaching part time, this is a direct attack on our academic freedom,” he said."

Yet, this clown believes that creating a fascist atmosphere that runs "groups like yours" off is a perfectly acceptable exercise of academic freedom.

Fire this moronic idiot for being an intellectual offense!


22 posted on 11/21/2005 6:25:59 AM PST by OpusatFR (What's so threatening about my faith that you have to kill people for believing it? That it's true?)
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To: aculeus

Not sure if everyone realizes that this is a part time job.

He works full time days at the Seven Eleven at the corner of Elm and Church streets.


23 posted on 11/21/2005 6:26:13 AM PST by babydoll22 (If you stop growing as a person you live in your own private hell.)
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To: BadAndy
"They often consist of academicians who couldn't get a real job."

Wait, I am confused. I was under the impression that was the definitive definition of an academician.

24 posted on 11/21/2005 6:26:18 AM PST by Mad Dawgg ("`Eddies,' said Ford, `in the space-time continuum.' `Ah,' nodded Arthur, `is he? Is he?'")
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To: Mamzelle

You're right. Additionally, the food chain in academic circles ensures that the adjunct instructors mostly remain where they are for ages!! The tenure system also ensures that the tenured professors face no challenges from newer and younger competition.


25 posted on 11/21/2005 6:26:19 AM PST by indcons ("Not all muslims are terrorists; however, all terrorists today are muslims." - George Fernandez)
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To: Mamzelle
I haven't seen Daly in action yet, but if he calls Rebecca a "fascist" he could be just heaps of fun.

If he looks as crazy around the edges as what's his name out in Colorado, the MSM won't use his photo, that's for sure!

26 posted on 11/21/2005 6:27:01 AM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?")
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To: indcons

"Daly said, reflects the lack of job security"

If you know you lack job security, why are you threatening the academic freedom of students, genius? No one has to go to the YAF meeting, and no one has to believe a word that's said there. But Daly has to throw his little tantrum because he disagrees with the speaker.


27 posted on 11/21/2005 6:27:35 AM PST by popdonnelly
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To: BadAndy
Correction- Adjunct instructors at Community Colleges are BELOW graduate students on the foodchain and just above the janitor.

C'mon, now; at least the janitor provides a USEFUL service!

28 posted on 11/21/2005 6:29:17 AM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?")
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To: BadAndy

Please - let's not drag the janitors down!


29 posted on 11/21/2005 6:29:24 AM PST by mlc9852
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To: ken5050
The college has issued three statements since the controversy broke — with support for Daly’s right to have sent the e-mail seeming to decline with each successive one.

TRANSLATION: Against the college's wishes, news of the idiot's e-mail to this freshman got out, and more and more alumni who write checks to the school are calling in with their opinions on Ward Churchill's Mini-Me.

30 posted on 11/21/2005 6:30:49 AM PST by ABG(anybody but Gore) (This tagline is under remodeling, thank you for your patience...)
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To: aculeus

“real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors and fight for just causes and for people’s needs.”
---
Wow. If I had made a crazy statement like, "real freedom will come when students in America turn their guns on leftist professors", I would be rightfully hated.
I thought that there were laws against things like advocating murder.


31 posted on 11/21/2005 6:30:55 AM PST by Stark_GOP
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To: Mamzelle
...how the college system exploits the oversupply of unemployable PhDs...

what makes you think he's a Ph.D? This guy is a partime instructor teaching remedial readin'-n-writin'.

the school wil tut-tut about the 1st amendment and then dump the asshole at the end of the semester.

32 posted on 11/21/2005 6:31:23 AM PST by martin gibson (I know not what course others may take, but as for myself, give me Ralph Stanley or give me death!!!)
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To: martin gibson; Mamzelle

Yeah....he is not a PhD. However, Mamzelle's point is still valid. The humanities and the arts churn out hundreds of PhDs who have absolutely NO chance of being employed. However, the system continues because grad. schools still want enrollment and are loath to tell their students that 80% of them will reamin in low-paying instructor/adjunct jobs for the rest of their academic lives.


33 posted on 11/21/2005 6:34:20 AM PST by indcons ("Not all muslims are terrorists; however, all terrorists today are muslims." - George Fernandez)
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To: martin gibson
A lot of those instructors have PhDs--heck, in the lib arts, the private prep high-schools have lots of PhDs to choose from in hiring teachers.

It's a cruel business, and I cringe when I see a bright person sell out his future for the siren call of the the liberal arts "academic life"--the illusory hope of being subsidized in perpetuity for feathering one's intellectual nest.

34 posted on 11/21/2005 6:36:18 AM PST by Mamzelle (.)
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To: apackof2; All
Dr. Austin,
I just read with outrage, the comments of John Daly. The call for enlisted men to "turn their guns on their superiors" is reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

In addtion his plead to “I will continue to expose your right-wing, anti-people politics until groups like yours won’t dare show their face on a college campus.” shows he has no respect for free speech and the fact that he would mail such a vitriol message to a freshmen shows at the least terrible judgment and at the most an uncontrollable temperament.

I hope that you would dismiss John Daly and to also clarify Warren County Community College position as a campus that does not tolerate hate speech but embraces free speech.

Sincerely,
My Name
Michigan

35 posted on 11/21/2005 6:36:26 AM PST by apackof2 (I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American. Daniel Webster)
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To: aculeus

As a college student, I see how pervasive this leftist garbage is in our texts, as well as in many of our "instructors." I have no problem with this person being fired immediately for not having the intelligence to respond responsibly (or perhaps not respond at all) to a solicitation to attend a function meant to educate people about our involvement in this war. Instead, he chose to insult others and act like a child. It is time that we restore a balance to our education system and pull these childish reprobates out by the roots..


36 posted on 11/21/2005 6:38:16 AM PST by FilthyHands (Live so that you may live forever. (viva ut vivas))
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To: aculeus
He said that the comment about soldiers turning their guns on their superiors was meant “in the most metaphoric sense.”

Maybe he should be arrested and hanged as a traitor... in the most metaphoric sense.

37 posted on 11/21/2005 6:38:34 AM PST by P-Marlowe
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To: Mamzelle

Any pix?


38 posted on 11/21/2005 6:38:44 AM PST by Agamemnon (Intelligent Design is to evolution what the Swift Boat Vets were to the Kerry campaign)
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To: apackof2

So important that we continue to freep school pres so they know that we in the silent majority are not always so silent. V's wife.


39 posted on 11/21/2005 6:39:28 AM PST by ventana
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To: aculeus

"As more and more professors are working off (tenure) track, we are finally able to fire them when they blow off in the most rancid ways, in spite of the union's iron grip." We have lots to be thankful for.


40 posted on 11/21/2005 6:39:42 AM PST by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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