Did You Know? Disrupt Texts Is the Latest Attack on the Western Canon

Jan 14, 2021 · · No Comments on Did You Know? Disrupt Texts Is the Latest Attack on the Western Canon

Penguin Classics is partnering with Disrupt Texts to replace Shakespeare and Homer with Ibram X. Kendi. What is Disrupt Texts? For the uninitiated, it is a new radical movement in classrooms which seeks to disrupt the “hegemony of English” and the Western canon by replacing them. According to its own website, Disrupt Texts is a “crowdsourced, grassroots effort by … Continue reading “Did You Know? Disrupt Texts Is the Latest Attack on the Western Canon”

Leaving the Blight of Higher Education: Part I–Farewell, Students

Dec 18, 2020 · · No Comments on Leaving the Blight of Higher Education: Part I–Farewell, Students

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. In May of 2020, my wife and I took our retirement after more than 30 years of teaching college, the last 20 years of which we spent at what I will call Upstate Consolation University, a mid-tier state college somewhere in the Northeast. My wife … Continue reading “Leaving the Blight of Higher Education: Part I–Farewell, Students”

Speaking Out Against Censorship in Academia

Dec 2, 2020 · · No Comments on Speaking Out Against Censorship in Academia

As academia becomes ever-more entrenched in groupthink, it can be intimidating to be a lone voice that refuses to toe the ideological line. And for good reason: failure to at least appear to agree with the ideological consensus on campus can result in a number of professional—and personal—consequences. But those potential consequences haven’t deterred one … Continue reading “Speaking Out Against Censorship in Academia”

Why Do UNC Schools Spend Money on Diversity Training That Doesn’t Work?

Nov 30, 2020 · · No Comments on Why Do UNC Schools Spend Money on Diversity Training That Doesn’t Work?

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include information about UNC-Charlotte, which responded to a public records request after publication. Higher ed leaders love committees and training sessions. The technocratic mind that rules campus sees a problem and usually decides that the solution is more resources and education. Once the money is spent and … Continue reading “Why Do UNC Schools Spend Money on Diversity Training That Doesn’t Work?”

UVA and the Dangerous Politicization of Our College Campuses

Nov 25, 2020 · · No Comments on UVA and the Dangerous Politicization of Our College Campuses

It is no secret that our colleges and universities have witnessed a sea change in campus culture over the past two decades. Political correctness has run rampant. High-profile incidents such as the Yale Halloween costume controversy and phenomena such as safe spaces and building re-namings have captured public attention. College officials, however, assure us that … Continue reading “UVA and the Dangerous Politicization of Our College Campuses”

Police Education Is Not Police Training: Virtue Signaling Is Not the Road to Improvement

Oct 30, 2020 · · No Comments on Police Education Is Not Police Training: Virtue Signaling Is Not the Road to Improvement

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, a number of colleges have cut back their interactions with local police departments and are redesigning their law enforcement programs. The University of Minnesota (UM) was one of the first to accede to faculty and student demands to cut ties with local police. The university scaled back its … Continue reading “Police Education Is Not Police Training: Virtue Signaling Is Not the Road to Improvement”

Diversity Über Alles: Science Is Threatened by Identity Politics

Oct 2, 2020 · · No Comments on Diversity Über Alles: Science Is Threatened by Identity Politics

I have worked in academic science my entire life and I have never seen any sign of racism, systemic or otherwise. On the contrary, I have seen people go to considerable lengths to aid able minorities. Yet a petition is circulating nationally complaining that: women and “people of color” are under-represented in STEM (science, technology, … Continue reading “Diversity Über Alles: Science Is Threatened by Identity Politics”

Religion on Campus: A Marketable Skill, or a Diversity & Inclusion Fight?

Sep 28, 2020 · · No Comments on Religion on Campus: A Marketable Skill, or a Diversity & Inclusion Fight?

Across higher education, campuses have changed how they deal with religion. It used to be seen as something at odds with academic freedom and science. Now, however, some campus administrators and advocates want students to learn more about religion, and to see policy changes on the institutional level. One argument is for colleges to teach … Continue reading “Religion on Campus: A Marketable Skill, or a Diversity & Inclusion Fight?”

An Open Letter to Duke President Price about Anti-Racism

Aug 11, 2020 · · No Comments on An Open Letter to Duke President Price about Anti-Racism

Dear President Price: On June 17, you published a 1,400-word “Statement to the Community Regarding Anti-Racism.” The document contains many expressions of concern, fully in tune with the current national mood about the evils of racism and the problems of the African American community. Nevertheless, the measures proposed, and the assumptions made, in this document … Continue reading “An Open Letter to Duke President Price about Anti-Racism”