Professor's Snub of Creationists Prompts U.S. Inquiry

New York Times ^ | 2/02/03 | NICK MADIGAN

[kattracks]

UBBOCK, Tex., Feb. 2 — A biology professor who insists that his students accept the tenets of human evolution has found himself the subject of Justice Department scrutiny.

Prompted by a complaint from the Liberty Legal Institute, a group of Christian lawyers, the department is investigating whether Michael L. Dini, an associate professor of biology at Texas Tech University here, discriminated against students on the basis of religion when he posted a demand on his Web site that students wanting a letter of recommendation for postgraduate studies "truthfully and forthrightly affirm a scientific answer" to the question of how the human species originated.

"The central, unifying principle of biology is the theory of evolution," Dr. Dini wrote. "How can someone who does not accept the most important theory in biology expect to properly practice in a field that is so heavily based on biology?"

That was enough for the lawyers' group, based in Plano, a Dallas suburb, to file a complaint on behalf of a 22-year-old Texas Tech student, Micah Spradling.

Mr. Spradling said he sat in on two sessions of Dr. Dini's introductory biology class and shortly afterward noticed the guidelines on the professor's Web site (www2.tltc.ttu.edu/dini/Personal/letters.htm).

Mr. Spradling said that given the professor's position, there was "no way" he would have enrolled in Dr. Dini's class or asked him for a recommendation to medical school.

"That would be denying my faith as a Christian," said Mr. Spradling, a junior raised in Lubbock who plans to study prosthetics and orthotics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "They've taken prayer out of schools and the Ten Commandments out of courtrooms, so I thought I had an opportunity to make a difference."

In an interview in his office, Dr. Dini pointed to a computer screen full of e-mail messages and said he felt besieged.

"The policy is not meant in any way to be discriminatory toward anyone's beliefs, but instead to ensure that people who I recommend to a medical school or a professional school or a graduate school in the biomedical sciences are scientists," he said. "I think science and religion address very different types of questions, and they shouldn't overlap."

Dr. Dini, who said he had no intention of changing his policy, declined to address the question of his own faith. But university officials and several students who support him say he is a religious man.

"He's a devout Catholic," said Greg Rogers, 36, a pre-med student from Lubbock. "He's mentioned it in discussion groups."

Mr. Rogers, who returned to college for a second degree and who said his beliefs aligned with Dr. Dini's, added: "I believe in God and evolution. I believe that evolution was the tool that brought us about. To deny the theory of evolution is, to me, like denying the law of gravity. In science, a theory is about as close to a fact as you can get."

Another student, Brent Lawlis, 21, from Midland, Tex., said he hoped to become an orthopedic surgeon and had had no trouble obtaining a letter of recommendation from Dr. Dini. "I'm a Christian, but there's too much biological evidence to throw out evolution," he said.

But other students waiting to enter classes Friday morning said they felt that Dr. Dini had stepped over the line. "Just because someone believes in creationism doesn't mean he shouldn't give them a recommendation," said Lindsay Otoski, 20, a sophomore from Albuquerque who is studying nursing. "It's not fair."

On Jan. 21, Jeremiah Glassman, chief of the Department of Justice's civil rights division, told the university's general counsel, Dale Pat Campbell, that his office was looking into the complaint, and asked for copies of the university's policies on letters of recommendation.

David R. Smith, the Texas Tech chancellor, said on Friday afternoon that the university, a state institution with almost 30,000 students and an operating budget of $845 million, had no such policy and preferred to leave such matters to professors.

In a letter released by his office, Dr. Smith noted that there were 38 other faculty members who could have issued Mr. Spradling a letter of recommendation, had he taken their classes. "I suspect there are a number of them who can and do provide letters of recommendation to students regardless of their ability to articulate a scientific answer to the origin of the human species," Dr. Smith wrote.

Members of the Liberty Legal Institute, who specialize in litigating what they call religious freedom cases, said their complaint was a matter of principle.

"There's no problem with Dr. Dini saying you have to understand evolution and you have to be able to describe it in detail," said Kelly Shackelford, the group's chief counsel, "but you can't tell students that they have to hold the same personal belief that you do."

Mr. Shackelford said that he would await the outcome of the Justice Department investigation but that the next step would probably be to file a suit against the university.

[Catspaw]

It wasn't my question, but apparently you've never heard of people converting from one religion to another. It does happen, and it's up to the university to deal with it. The hypothetical Baptist seminary in question would be a private college. No doubt if someone decided they were Wiccan, they'be be booted out as soon as it became public knowledge.

[Right Wing Professor]

"Hello, Right Wing, this is the pot. You are black."

Notice I didn't include myself in the set of good Christians.

[Lurking Libertarian]

This student may not be specifically, but if another student came to this professor and wanted to pursue graduate studies in biology with the intent of skeptically ivestigating Darwinism, and also being "open-minded" about other origins theories, apparently Dini would deny him a recommendation as well.

Where does his website say anything of the sort? It requires "a scientific answer" (not "the" scientific answer) to the question of origins.

[Right Wing Professor]

There really isn't any scientific controversy surrounding Darwinism.

In Iran, there isn't any theological controversy surrounding the interpretation of Shia Islam, either.

And in math. departments, it's pretty generally agreed that 2+2=4.

If we must reason from analogy, I'd argue math departments are closer to biology departments than biology departments to Shia Islam.

[Nebullis]

For this student's religious beliefs, yes it does.

Then the student need not ask for a letter. It's very simple.

At most, the professor's opinion and his public announcement of it, is offensive to this student.

[Nebullis]

Besides, I think you want it both ways. You also want to call Dini's stance a religious/philosophical one and then prosecute him for them.

[Right Wing Professor]

But what you're proposing is that state-funded universities should be able to seal off debate on certain issues because of non-fact based assumptions. If Darwinism is not allowed to be challenged, then it isn't science; it's faith.

You could write the same thing about the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In fact, why don't you? I get more students coming to me with designs for perpetual motion machines than I do with creationist theories. If a student persistently refuses to believe the second law, and says he wants to go to graduate school to learn to build a perpetual motion machine, I should just ignore that and recommend him?

[Lurking Libertarian]

In Iran, there isn't any theological controversy surrounding the interpretation of Shia Islam, either. If the entire profession of biology has ruled out the argument from design a priori, why should it surprise anyone that dissent from this orthodoxy is supressed?

Hold on. Back in post #337 (?), you said: "There is plenty of controversy surrounding Darwinism not just from 'Bible-thumpers', but from serious scientists."

Which is it?

[k2blader]

The hypothetical Baptist seminary in question would be a private college. No doubt if someone decided they were Wiccan, they'be be booted out as soon as it became public knowledge.

Agreed. You've also generally illustrated how the original analogy is false, thus making the original question irrelevant.

P.S. It being understood neither original is yours. ;-)

[Lurking Libertarian]

Then you two believe that the Creator is bound to the Laws of Nature which He created? Is not the Creator free to do things beyond what our natural laws allow?

Is God free to do evil?

Being omnipotent, God may be free to violate natural law, but I don't believe He does. They are not "our" natural laws, but His; He created them because they are sufficient to accomplish His purposes.

[realpatriot71]

I know I'm getting into this discussion a bit late, but would say two things:

(1)A recommendation is not something that anyone is required to give anyone else. For instance I would never right a recommendation for someone that I didn't think would be good at what he/she wanted me to recommened them for. At least this professor is honest and upfront about the fact that if one wants a recommendation, one had better take a stance he supports

(2)A physician need not believe in evolution as a source of origins to be a good physician. In fact evolution never comes up, except as an occasional asside in a textbook.

[Sci Fi Guy]

The professor isn't telling them to change their personal beliefs. They can believe what they want. What's happening here is that the court is being asked to change the professor's personal belief that these students will not make good scientists. Nobody is owed a recommendation. The only obligation the professor is under is to make his true opinion honestly known to the recipient of the letter.

Actually the court is being asked to protect students from discrimination. The professor is a bigot. What if the good Professor felt that Black people just couldn't be good scientists? And therefore they need not ask for recommendations. The only difference is that the area of discrimination is religion and not race. And if the professor cannot base his recommendations on the students academic achievement, then he should find a nice private college to teach at.

[Sci Fi Guy]

Now people think they are entitled to recommendation letters.

The dumbing down of America continues.

No, actually they are saying that they should be judged by their abilities, and not discriminated against because of their religious beliefs.

Reread the article. The professor is saying that the most important thing is that the student agrees with him. Imagine if this was a liberal anti-American history or political science professor and he said that in order to get a recommendation for post graduate school, you had to agree with his views. Not get good grades, not understand the different theories and views. No, you could be a straight A student, top of the Class, but unless you agree with the prof, you're unqualifed.

[Right Wing Professor]

Not get good grades, not understand the different theories and views. No, you could be a straight A student, top of the Class, but unless you agree with the prof, you're unqualifed

It's not just in science either. You know, if you're a convicted felon, many states will prevent you from practising law, even if you can pass the bar exam! What does it matter if you don't obey the law, as long as you know what it is, right!

[Salgak]

Hardly. But if the dictates of a given religion override the laws of a nation, how IS that different, in any real way, from sharia ???

[Dataman]

Hardly. But if the dictates of a given religion override the laws of a nation, how IS that different, in any real way, from sharia ???

You'd have to understand the difference between the religions. Christianity allows for civil disobedience under certain circumstances. God's standard is certainly higher than man's. Disobedience was allowed, for example, when Hitler made it illegal to hide Jews. May I suppose you approved of that disobedience on the part of Christians like Corrie Ten Boom or do you think the Christians should have helped Hitler stoke the furnaces?

[Physicist]

What if the good Professor felt that Black people just couldn't be good scientists? And therefore they need not ask for recommendations. The only difference is that the area of discrimination is religion and not race.

Codswallop. The professor didn't withhold his opinion because they are Christians. He withheld it because they are creationists. The racial analogy would be to a classical history professor being asked to recommend an Afrocentrist who believes that Aristotle was black and that Greek civilization was stolen from Black Africa, or an English professor being asked to recommend a student who insists on using "ebonics" exclusively. Are each of these hypothetical students entitled to a recommendation? Would it be racist to refuse?

[gore3000]

Now people think they are entitled to recommendation letters.

A teacher is in front of a class to teach, not to abuse his power to persecute (and this is persecution) those who do not agree with his views. This man does not belong in front of a class in a free country. The university he teaches at should have fired him forthwith as soon as he posted that on his website. Instead they backed him up. I hope they sue that University for so much money that they will be forced to fire Dini and the whole administration that backed this tyrant.

[gore3000]

They can believe what they want.

Absolutely wrong. He is telling them to swear that they honestly believe in evolution. This is an oath to an ideology - an atheist ideology. It is totally immoral to any religious person to do so. It is totally immoral for any person with any conscience to do so. He is doing Satan's work.

[gore3000]

I should add that if a physics student asked me for a letter of recommendation, and it was known to me that the student believed the universe to be 6000 years old, I could not in good conscience give that student a good recommendation...

Sounds like you and Dini are two of a kind - ideologues willing to abuse their power to do Satan's work of making people renounce their religious beliefs.