Trigger warnings, safe spaces, and fascism on college campuses

[falafel]

LDS-Member E Gordon Gee pens an Op-Ed piece that provides an interesting opinion on what we have seen and continue to see on College campuses.

Link: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ive-...ersity-beliefs


It is a mission that has not changed much, or at all, in a quarter of a millennium, and we would do well to re-affirm it. There are currently 1.1 million foreign students in American universities, most of whom pay full tuition. But universities must address both the needs of American students and their foreign-born peers, while expanding their efforts to welcome populations not traditionally fortunate enough to enjoy an excellent academic education. And, most importantly, they must also deliver a curriculum thick with history, civics and other classes that prepare the next generation to take its eventual place at the helm.

Second, academia must wean itself, urgently, off its addiction to inflamed ideological convictions. If we are truly interested in diversity — and we should be, because every study at our disposal suggests that diversity makes for greater and more meaningful achievements — we should remember that diversity is also intellectual viewpoint diversity.

Unless our campuses become arenas for the free and unfettered exchange of ideas, unless they enable young men and women to run into a wide array of worldviews and convictions, they will be little more than airless partisan strongholds desperate to affirm their own dogma, no matter how errant.

And finally, and most pressingly, universities, having demonstrated that they can stand up for academic freedom, must now become equally comfortable fighting for academic responsibility. The sights that we have seen for more than two years, coming out of some of our most celebrated schools, are appalling: deans berating and mocking students for standing up to bigotry, or university employees held hostage by playacting "revolutionaries."

None of the above can be tolerated for a moment longer on any American campus, which means that every college and university must now convene its wisest and most committed officers and ask itself whether its processes and procedures do indeed deliver apt protections, and whether the university is geared to meet its academic responsibilities.

None of these steps, to be sure, are easy. All are essential. As anyone truly dedicated to education will tell you, it is in moments of great crisis that great opportunities usually arise. Ours is at hand. Let us not squander it.

The bolded above was my favorite part of Gee's OpEd.

Shaka, this is basically what my philosophy is when I am asking questions. I know I don't understand or agree with all viewpoints. But there is zero chance I will agree if I don't understand. In tandem with being interested in diversity, we should be equally interested in understanding those diverse viewpoints.

[PaloAltoCougar]

The bolded above was my favorite part of Gee's OpEd.

Shaka, this is basically what my philosophy is when I am asking questions. I know I don't understand or agree with all viewpoints. But there is zero chance I will agree if I don't understand. In tandem with being interested in diversity, we should be equally interested in understanding those diverse viewpoints.

Gordon Gee was my Labor Law professor 46 years ago. During a class discussion i raised my hand to comment but quickly dropped it as i reconsidered my query. Still, Gordon called on me anyway and, a bit flustered, I said, "Sorry, that was a balk." A sports fan, he laughed harder than the weak quip deserved and repeated it throughout the class. I've always liked the guy.

[dabrockster]

Gee is an amazing dude. I remember when he dropped in our Ward one Sunday for sacrament. I was just in awe and geeking out. He swiftly snuck out after the coming prayer but it was a highlight for those of us who recognized him.

Loved him when he was here at tOSU. His Op-Ed was exactly how I feel but never could put to words. And he nailed it perfectly.

[dabrockster]

The bolded above was my favorite part of Gee's OpEd.

Shaka, this is basically what my philosophy is when I am asking questions. I know I don't understand or agree with all viewpoints. But there is zero chance I will agree if I don't understand. In tandem with being interested in diversity, we should be equally interested in understanding those diverse viewpoints.

???? agree and sadly, you are one of the few I see who embrace this and others who are too close-minded to see the diversity of different thoughts which is what we are in America. We are a melting pot in of ideas and beliefs. Sprinkled with heavy opinions that can lose sight of that and too often vilify that freedom of disagreement.

[LVAllen]

LDS-Member E Gordon Gee pens an Op-Ed piece that provides an interesting opinion on what we have seen and continue to see on College campuses.

Link: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ive-...ersity-beliefs


It is a mission that has not changed much, or at all, in a quarter of a millennium, and we would do well to re-affirm it. There are currently 1.1 million foreign students in American universities, most of whom pay full tuition. But universities must address both the needs of American students and their foreign-born peers, while expanding their efforts to welcome populations not traditionally fortunate enough to enjoy an excellent academic education. And, most importantly, they must also deliver a curriculum thick with history, civics and other classes that prepare the next generation to take its eventual place at the helm.

Second, academia must wean itself, urgently, off its addiction to inflamed ideological convictions. If we are truly interested in diversity — and we should be, because every study at our disposal suggests that diversity makes for greater and more meaningful achievements — we should remember that diversity is also intellectual viewpoint diversity.

Unless our campuses become arenas for the free and unfettered exchange of ideas, unless they enable young men and women to run into a wide array of worldviews and convictions, they will be little more than airless partisan strongholds desperate to affirm their own dogma, no matter how errant.

And finally, and most pressingly, universities, having demonstrated that they can stand up for academic freedom, must now become equally comfortable fighting for academic responsibility. The sights that we have seen for more than two years, coming out of some of our most celebrated schools, are appalling: deans berating and mocking students for standing up to bigotry, or university employees held hostage by playacting "revolutionaries."

None of the above can be tolerated for a moment longer on any American campus, which means that every college and university must now convene its wisest and most committed officers and ask itself whether its processes and procedures do indeed deliver apt protections, and whether the university is geared to meet its academic responsibilities.

None of these steps, to be sure, are easy. All are essential. As anyone truly dedicated to education will tell you, it is in moments of great crisis that great opportunities usually arise. Ours is at hand. Let us not squander it.

Lousy concepts and ideas should quickly find themselves on the defensive at a university. If you continue to cling to lousy ideas long after you've been shown why they are so poor, you don't really belong at a univerisity, you belong at a seminary for the Church of Whatever Beliefs You Hold.

Note: if you can defend your lousy ideas with non-lousy logic, reasoning, and evidence, feel free to stay. Unpopular opinions are fine, as long as they have some identifiable basis in truth. A lot of new discoveries started as the unpopular minority opinion. That's what academic freedom is all about. If you can't defend them, drop them or go back to the seminary.

Proponents of spontaneous generation or the miasma theory don't get to screech and holler about how unfair it is that their views on disease aren't being equally represented in medical schools.

[YOhio]

The Dept of Education released a website with cumulative totals of foreign gifts/contracts to American universities. It's a bit unclear whether this funding is actual government money or also includes donations from individuals. I assume both. Qatar is shoveling cash to the Ivy's and TAMU. One of the more surprising discoveries is how much Canadian cash BYU has received. About $850M total for BYU and BYU-Idaho. I'm. sure there's a great story there.

https://www.foreignfundinghighered.gov/

[beefytee]

The Dept of Education released a website with cumulative totals of foreign gifts/contracts to American universities. It's a bit unclear whether this funding is actual government money or also includes donations from individuals. I assume both. Qatar is shoveling cash to the Ivy's and TAMU. One of the more surprising discoveries is how much Canadian cash BYU has received. About $850M total for BYU and BYU-Idaho. I'm. sure there's a great story there.

https://www.foreignfundinghighered.gov/

I'm guessing that is tithing.

There are limits on the church's ability to move tithing money outside of Canada, and Alberta is one of the few places (besides like Utah, Idaho and Arizona) where tithing/expenses are a net positive. But they can move the money to foreign universities and so a good chunk of Canadian tithing goes to BYU. It is also rumored that it is easier for Canadians to get into BYU in order to keep a quota of Canadian students and maintain itself as a place that the church can move its money to.

[YOhio]

I'm guessing that is tithing.

There are limits on the church's ability to move tithing money outside of Canada, and Alberta is one of the few places (besides like Utah, Idaho and Arizona) where tithing/expenses are a net positive. But they can move the money to foreign universities and so a good chunk of Canadian tithing goes to BYU. It is also rumored that it is easier for Canadians to get into BYU in order to keep a quota of Canadian students and maintain itself as a place that the church can move its money to.

I didn’t realize that about capital controls in Canada. I’d still be a bit surprised if it were tithing, but I guess it makes sense.

[dabrockster]

Cal State prof warns scrapping SAT in name of ‘inclusivity’ is leaving students unprepared

A California economics professor is sounding the alarm on the "deficits in learning" she is seeing in the classroom, arguing that the decision to scrap standardized testing in the name of "inclusivity" is actually a disservice to the students it claims to help.

Cal State Long Beach professor Andrea Mays told Fox News Digital that the current cohort of college students, many of whom spent their formative middle school years in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, are arriving on campus unprepared for basic coursework.

Mays, who recently penned an opinion piece in the Orange County Register with the headline "Bring back the SAT at CSU — or admit we are failing our own students," says that the explanation she has gotten for the CSU system dropping the SAT is that "we want to be inclusive."

"I am definitely for inclusivity on our campus," Mays said. "We have a very diverse campus here. But I think it's fraud to tell people that what we're doing is so that we can be inclusive when really what we're doing is we're allowing people to enter that we know are really going to have a difficult time of it. They have no idea."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cal-state-prof-warns-scrapping-sat-name-inclusivity-leaving-students-unprepared

[BigPiney]

I think not requiring standardized tests is a dumb. Yesterday BYU decisions came out and I was reading on CB many people say they didn't submit SAT or ACT scores because they weren't great, yet the kids were accepted.

[Donuthole]

I think not requiring standardized tests is a dumb. Yesterday BYU decisions came out and I was reading on CB many people say they didn't submit SAT or ACT scores because they weren't great, yet the kids were accepted.

Not to mention they have already dumbed down the standardized tests.

[falafel]

This is the email signature of a university VP I am working with.

[Female VP] Ed.D. (she,ella)

Associate Vice President, Student Life
Student Affairs

[LVAllen]

This is the email signature of a university VP I am working with.

[Female VP] Ed.D. (she,ella)

Associate Vice President, Student Life
Student Affairs

DuoLingo has taught me that ella is Spanish for a feminine pronoun. Can't say it's taught me much more, and its chess lessons are terrible, but it did teach me the difference between El and Ella. And then I watch Stranger Things and I keep getting confused when they call her El.

[Clark Addison]

Ella is a great name but a weird (English) pronoun

[Copelius]

Oh! I can do that too.

Copelius, JD, (spaceman,spiff)