Topic: Politicization

The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire

Aug 17, 2018 · · No Comments on The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire

With the memory of last August’s violent alt-right protest and counter-protest still raw, the University of Virginia is again under siege. The new invasion actually began a few weeks ahead of schedule. “As grim anniversary nears,” the Chronicle of Higher Education began its coverage in late July, and Inside Higher Ed also emphasized “the approaching … Continue reading “The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire”

‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas

Aug 15, 2018 · · No Comments on ‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas

The latest racket in higher education, evident at my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, is the disturbing proliferation of “social justice” as a degree program, a course topic, an academic emphasis, and even as a prerequisite in campus job descriptions. “Social justice” is a seemingly innocuous term with no established definition. Many … Continue reading “‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas”

The New Racism, Part II: The Sociologist’s Toolkit: Justifying Racism Through Language

Aug 3, 2018 · · No Comments on The New Racism, Part II: The Sociologist’s Toolkit: Justifying Racism Through Language

Editor’s note: Part I of The New Racism can be read here. The best way to grasp how sociology has managed to make color-blind racism (CBR) seem believable is to study its Newspeak (to continue the Orwell theme). Whiteness To many modern sociologists, color blindness is a racist weapon that works, somehow, through whiteness, a … Continue reading “The New Racism, Part II: The Sociologist’s Toolkit: Justifying Racism Through Language”

The New Racism, Part I: How ‘Race and Ethnic Studies’ Made Color Blindness a Bad Thing

Aug 1, 2018 · · No Comments on The New Racism, Part I: How ‘Race and Ethnic Studies’ Made Color Blindness a Bad Thing

Like most Americans, I have always assumed that color blindness is our ideal.  Not any more: color blindness is now become the new racism. So much for a 70-year struggle to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.’s wish that his children be “judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their … Continue reading “The New Racism, Part I: How ‘Race and Ethnic Studies’ Made Color Blindness a Bad Thing”

After Janus: Vindication and Hope

Jul 25, 2018 · · No Comments on After Janus: Vindication and Hope

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court took a significant step toward restoring individual liberty for all government employees, including faculty in public universities and colleges, with its decision in Janus v. AFSCME. Faculty members will no longer be forced to pay any labor union any fee for any purpose as a condition of continued government … Continue reading “After Janus: Vindication and Hope”

A Monumental Question

Jul 23, 2018 · · No Comments on A Monumental Question

Today’s radical left has embarked on a quest to purge college campuses of their controversial histories. These “social justice warriors” not only believe themselves licensed to tear down statues—they view it as their sacred duty to rid universities of monuments that do not meet their standards of political correctness. But merely removing statues they deem … Continue reading “A Monumental Question”

The New Head of the Office for Civil Rights Charts a Very Different Course

Jul 11, 2018 · · No Comments on The New Head of the Office for Civil Rights Charts a Very Different Course

Last month, the Senate voted to confirm Kenneth L. Marcus as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education. The vote was 50-46, with not one Democrat supporting him—a point I will return to presently. In that position, he will head up the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). This is the second … Continue reading “The New Head of the Office for Civil Rights Charts a Very Different Course”

The Latest Affirmative Action Suit May Succeed Where Others Failed

Jun 29, 2018 · · No Comments on The Latest Affirmative Action Suit May Succeed Where Others Failed

In 2016, the University of Texas won the case over its use of racial preferences (Fisher v. Texas), but the Supreme Court did not rule that all racial preference plans were legal. A new suit against Harvard may prove to be successful. Here’s the background. In its affirmative action cases, starting with the Bakke case … Continue reading “The Latest Affirmative Action Suit May Succeed Where Others Failed”

Faculty in Denial about Own Role in Decline of Humanities

Jun 20, 2018 · · No Comments on Faculty in Denial about Own Role in Decline of Humanities

If you want to see one example of why a new populism has emerged in American universities in the last 10 years, take a look at a statement issued last week by the Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The incapacity of the experts and professionals who wrote the … Continue reading “Faculty in Denial about Own Role in Decline of Humanities”

Are North Carolina Universities Biased? Look at What Students Are Reading

Jun 18, 2018 · · No Comments on Are North Carolina Universities Biased? Look at What Students Are Reading

North Carolina just added a new layer of meaning to its motto, First in Flight. This time the state is the first in the nation to get campus free speech off the runway.   The North Carolina Campus Free Speech Act lofts the idea that college students and invited speakers have a right to express … Continue reading “Are North Carolina Universities Biased? Look at What Students Are Reading”