<p>If this is typical of the caliber of logical thought and writing produced by an Iowa State faculty member, then why would anyone want to send their child there, or give them money to pay the salary of someone who writes this?</p>
<p>Letter</a> to the editor: Republican patriotism excludes those in need - Iowa State Daily: Opinion</p>
<p>At least we know this poseur owns a thesaurus. It reads like some English 101 attempt to try and save a crappy paper with big-boy words. This is what one gets for instructors at ISU? Pathetic ivory tower wannabes who deride whole groups of people with generalities? Shameful, and a warning to anyone whose child plans to go here and possibly be exposed to such small, confined minds. Again, why would anyone waste their money with so many other choices?</p>
<p>First of all this is an OPINION piece…it is this gentleman’s opinion. He wrote in to the paper and his opinion was published. Secondly he is listed as a lecturer…he is NOT a professor, he is only someone who lectures select classes in a NON-tenured track adjunct position. ISU uses Lecture and adjunct interchangably.</p>
<p>When you were hired for your current job were you required to state your political beliefs? Were you told to never write your opinion or state your case? This is the USA and agreeing or disagreeing with the writer is your right. However, it is also his right to state his case.</p>
<p>Telling people to base their opinion of the an entire university because of one small opinion piece in a local paper is absurd! You have either never attended ISU or you are a ■■■■■…either way you are way off base here.</p>
<p>@buzymom3: Read my posting. At no point did I argue against Walker’s right to speak or write what he wants, no matter how wrong-headed I may think he is. Nice try turning this into a First Amendment argument, instead of addressing the issue I raise. I know that would be an easier argument for you to win, which is why you likely did it, but whether I agree with Walker or not is not in dispute here. </p>
<p>I stand by my contention that Walker’s op-ed piece is a simplistic ad hominem jab, poorly written, full of unsupported claims and elitist crap (money spent on our armed services is “the greatest squandering of money on the planet” - really?), and light on any factual or well-developed thesis. Whether Walker is an instructor or a full professor, some parent is paying good money to have their child “taught” by this weak-minded zealot. Again, what he says is one thing. But the shabbiness of his delivery calls into question the quality of the ISU education and its English Dept if this is typical of the ISU faculty. I don’t need to visit the campus to see this obvious fact. </p>
<p>Oh, and @jasper60103, you should look up the meaning of an internet “■■■■■”. It’s someone with no argument who pops out, tosses out an inflammatory word or two, and then disappears. Kind of like what you did.</p>
<p>LOL umboFever09…let’s see your last few posts are in the Georgetown, Brown, and Harvard forums. Aren’t you lowering yourself posting about an small opinion piece in the Iowa State Daily? Honestly, your posts truly do make me sad…you are maligning a wonderful University and making an uneducated opinion based on nothing. Certainly not well educated, or given to research are you??</p>
<p>Honestly, why would you even bother posting on this board? What in the world has someone from ISU done to you that you need to dig up some very meaningless article and try to tell people that they should not attend this very wonderful school because of one opinion piece?? LOL You do need to grow up and realize that just because someone does not share your opinion it does not mean that they are wrong. You are what…a HS senior or a college freshman…who are you to judge the writing quality of anyone? </p>
<p>Again, one small article that is an OPINION piece does not accurately reflect the quality of an institution as a whole.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure that not everyone loves everything written by every prof at GT, or agrees with it. </p>
<p>Go pick on some other poor posters…you seem pretty good at sarcasm and insults…I’ve seen enough of your posts to know that you are arrogant and very full of yourself. You tear down people to make yourself feel better…You are the kind of kid that I tell my kids to avoid…you are a bit of bully and I feel sorry for you.</p>
<p>And yes…you are a ■■■■■…ugly, inside and out, with a nasty attitude.</p>
<p>@buzymom3 says “I’ve seen enough of your posts to know that you are arrogant and very full of yourself.”</p>
<p>And two of your rambling unfocused and off-topic postings are enough for me to know it is hopeless trying to have a discussion with you. And please save the soccer mom advice for your kids. I’m sure they will be happy to listen to it until they eventually realize how ill-advised and uninformed you are. Yes, I’ve read your posts too. </p>
<p>“Top CC in the nation”? LOL, that’s like saying “the cleanest dumpster in New Jersey”. It’s still a dumpster.</p>
<p>Later.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The point the OP is making is that whatever argument the Iowa State guy is making is so poorly argued, so badly factually supported, so polemic as to be wholly lost and undermined by his own invective and sheer lunacy. It’s not about someone not sharing one’s opinion; rather, it’s about someone being wholly inarticulate about their own as to render it unintelligible and indefensible.</p>
<p>Is this article badly written? You’ll get no argument from me. But there’s no evidence that it its badness is typical of Iowa State or in any way indicative of the quality of education available there. This one sophomoric letter to the editor proves nothing about the intellectual character of Iowa State and its denizens. What it shows is that this one guy wrote this one sophomoric, poorly reasoned piece. Is he the only person to teach at an institution of higher education and write/publish something so badly written? Even stipulate that he is incompetent (we don’t actually have the data to support that); that’s not sufficient data to write off the whole place. I mean, come on.</p>
<p>Very interesting reply to this article by the president of the university. He is VERY clear that this piece is an OPINION piece, that the author does not in anyway represent the opinions of the University AND he goes on to show how the university supports vets. </p>
<p>For some reason the link won’t post here…but it is in the Iowa State Daily dated 12/9 on the front page at the very top of the page.</p>
<p>Well written and articulate. </p>
<p>This is an amazing place and I don’t think that it is appropriate to deride the entire campus because of one man’s opinion.</p>
<p>I think placido240 hit the nail on the head here, despite how off-topic the thread originally got. The point the OP (unnboFever09) appears to be making seems to have nothing to do with the actual position taken in what is clearly an opinion piece, nor does OP seem to claim that ISU endorses it. You could even make the case that if it was a member of the Math Dept. or some other area who wrote the piece, then the OP would be more off-base. But I think OP was pointing out the irony that the piece in question was written by a member of the English Dept., and someone who is supposedly a writing expert. After reading the piece, I have to agree with the other posters here who have pointed out that it is pretty poorly written.</p>
<p>I can empathize that buzymom3 and others, as members of the ISU community, would follow your instinct to ‘circle the wagons’ to protect the school. But resorting to personal attacks which then prompted retaliatory remarks from the OP, didn’t do anything to make you or the school look good. </p>
<p>By the way, I ended up here because the link to the original Iowa State Daily opinion piece is now making the rounds virally via emails and twitter feeds, and a subsequent Google search on it brought me directly to this CC thread. </p>
<p>This is probably not the kind of publicity ISU wants during this season when students are making their college choices. </p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>Gabby</p>
<p>Shameful, and a warning to anyone whose child plans to go here and possibly be exposed to such small, confined minds. Again, why would anyone waste their money with so many other choices? </p>
<p>Gabby…absolutely it is not a well written piece, and pretty ill advised on the part any college employee. However, OP’s initial post was inflammatory in nature, especially the above sentences…Why would anyone make a choice on a college based on ONE ADJUNCT professors opinion piece? Why would you make a sweeping assumption that one bad instructor means that the whole University is bad?? Especially if you know nothing about the school other than one link to one opinion piece…</p>
<p>OP posted here purely to inflame. His original post was not informational, it was judgemental and lumping the entire university as bad because of one poorly written piece. I find that most posters on CC are helpful, with a devotion to their choosen school and very honestly, yes it really does upset me that anyone would judge the entire school based on one bad essay. It makes no sense at all. This University is a very special place and I’d hate for anyone to miss the great opportunities here based on OP’s comments.</p>
<p>Also, no one has commented on the article written by the President of Iowa State responding to the opinion piece. It is well written, and actually offers a much better insight into the workings of Iowa State than the first article. But I guess that just isn’t as sensational.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the website for the chair of the department doesn’t inspire much confidence, either.</p>
<p>[Barbara</a> Ching — ISU English Department](<a href=“http://engl.iastate.edu/directory/bching]Barbara”>http://engl.iastate.edu/directory/bching)</p>
<p>The page is either poorly edited or else the professor really needs an introductory English class in mechanics. </p>
<p>Both Iowa State employees are poorly representing the university.</p>
<p>Then dont send your kid here. We prefer non-cray parents and people who are open to think whatever they want. If you think this guy is wrong, well then o well. Hes not the first person to do anything wrong, send your child to Iowa.</p>