Tenure... Now there's an idea whose time has come and gone.If we are ever to wrestle our higher education system away from the leftists and commies, tenure will need to be eliminated or at least greatly modified.
Posted on 03/29/2003 12:07:52 PM PST by mrustow
Angry callers flooded phone lines at Columbia University Friday, denouncing a professor who called for an Iraqi victory over U.S. troops and said he would like to see "a million Mogadishus."
The Mogadishu reference recalled the Somali city where 18 U.S. soldiers were killed 10 years ago.
University president Lee C. Bollinger called Newsday to say he was stunned by the comments made by Assistant Professor Nicholas De Genova, one of more than two dozen speakers at a "teach-in" Wednesday night.
(Excerpt) Read more at nynewsday.com ...
Tenure... Now there's an idea whose time has come and gone.If we are ever to wrestle our higher education system away from the leftists and commies, tenure will need to be eliminated or at least greatly modified.
He is angling for a gig at Dartmouth or a west coast gig at Berkley - perfect credential for those places.
This story was printed from The Columbia Spectator.
Site URL: http://www.columbiaspectator.com.
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| Students and faculty took turns holding the Palestinian flag during yesterday’s sit-in on Low Plaza. Jesse Coffino-Greenberg/CDS |
Two competing programs were held on the main campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: a rally in support of the Palestinian cause, sponsored by Turath, People For Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Columbia Anti-War Collective, as well as a picnic and information table in support of the Israeli cause.
"I think the turnout was pretty good--definitely what we expected," said Shadi Cortas, CC '03 and a Turath coordinator.
Fliers distributed by the organizers of the pro-Palestinian rally cited five objectives the protest aimed to support: an end to Israeli occupation of contested territories, the right of Palestinians to return to these territories, cessation of United States aid to Israel, an end to Israeli human rights abuses, and a general policy of boycott against Israel. The pro-Israel gathering celebrated Israel's Independence Day but also included the distribution of information supporting the Israeli cause.
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| Low Plaza was crowded with students, faculty, and other members of the community who staged a sit-in to support Palestinians. Cory Bronson/CDS |
Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Joseph Massad decried Israel as "a Jewish supremacist and racist state," and stated that "every racist state should be threatened."
"The heritage of the victims of the Holocaust belongs to the Palestinian people. The state of Israel has no claim to the heritage of the Holocaust," claimed Professor of Latino Studies Nicholas De Genova.
The outdoor gatherings generated a high turnout, but as a result, many students voiced concerns over some teachers' choice to cancel classes either to allow students to attend the events or to participate themselves.
Whether or not they themselves attended the events, professors' and TAs' means of accommodating them varied. Some, like Logic and Rhetoric professor Jodi Melamed, GSAS, merely informed students that they would not be penalized for attending the Palestinian or Israeli rallies instead of class.
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| Low Plaza was crowded with students, faculty, and other members of the community who staged a sit-in to support Palestinians. Oliver Biggadike/CDS |
Others, like Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Hamad Dabashi, canceled their late morning and afternoon classes altogether, which caused concern among students planning to attend class as usual.
One of Dabashi's students opposed having class cancelled because, in his opinion, such action encourages overpoliticization of Middle Eastern culture courses.
In response to such sentiments, Cortas mused that students enrolled in Middle Eastern culture classes would likely have learned something by going to the teach-in, and that this knowledge was perhaps as unique and valuable as anything they could have acquired by spending the time in class.
"Our education here is supposed to prepare us for the world," Cortas said. "It's not just about scholarly and academic pursuits."
In his view, the protest was "a good example of the other important aspects of our education" and was thus a worthwhile use of time that would otherwise have been spent in the classroom.
"Besides," Cortas said, "I think it's important to show some sort of support. It's not just about political stance; it's also about moral stance. It's just human nature that if we feel there's some sort of injustice going on, it's important to speak out."
Fareed Melhem, CC '05, expressed a similar opinion.
"I think that if students want to go to the rallies, then they shouldn't be forced to go to class," said Melhem. "And," he added, "if not enough people show up to class, then you have to cancel class."
Students against cancelling classes to allow for political participation have already begun to voice their discontentment to the adminstration, faculty, and other campus leaders. Rabbi Charles Sheer of the Columbia/Barnard Hillel asked students at the pro-Israel gathering about class cancellations and announced his intention to address the issue with University administration.
Just one such institution in a sewer full of them.
I had a thought earlier today: It would be cool if we conservatives could buy these colleges, fire all the professors and have them reapply individually for employment. Professors would have to teach, and we'd pay them generously if they were good enough at their jobs, but there would be no tenure.
At least that was my fantasy world for a few minutes...
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