Right to Sue Professors: A SUNY college responds

Parents Forum
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<p>This is a follow up to the "Florida bill" thread (I couldn't figure out how to change the title to include New York).</p>

<p>Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights has apparently been introduced in New York too, and this is the response of Dutchess County community college:</p>

<p>Professional Staff Organization
Dutchess Community College
24 March 2005</p>

<p>In response to the “Academic Bill of Rights” (ABOR), currently under consideration by SUNY administration, the Professional Staff Organization (PSO) of Dutchess Community College (DCC) hereby ASSERTS:</p>

<p>that DCC has already stated its commitment to academic freedom in clear and unambiguous terms;</p>

<p>that the ABOR, which purports to promote intellectual diversity, actually threatens the tradition of academic freedom at DCC;</p>

<p>that the ABOR’s implication that knowledge is “unsettled” in most academic disciplines except for the sciences is dubious, at best;</p>

<p>that the ABOR distorts the principle of academic freedom by erroneously extending all of its protections to students;</p>

<p>that DCC students are already protected from racial, religious, and sex discrimination under applicable federal and state law;</p>

<p>that in addition to these legal safeguards, DCC students enjoy other rights and privileges pursuant to the policies of the College, including a grade appeal procedure;</p>

<p>that by setting narrow limitations on what teachers may consider when grading student work, the ABOR makes it harder for teachers to maintain academic standards;</p>

<p>that the vagueness of ABOR’s language appears to invite the imposition of outside political pressures on teachers;</p>

<p>that the ABOR would subject many of the College’s activities—including the selection of public speakers, formation of curricula, and hiring and promotion of employees—to external, non-academic standards;</p>

<p>that the intent of the ABOR appears to be to expose faculty and staff to civil action from those who claim to be victims of discrimination because of their “political beliefs”; and finally,</p>

<p>that the combined threat of lawsuits and external political pressure will have a chilling effect on the presentation of controversial topics in DCC classrooms.</p>

<p>Therefore, it is RESOLVED:</p>

<p>that the PSO rejects the proposed “Academic Bill of Rights” and urges SUNY to do the same; and</p>

<p>that the PSO remains unwaveringly committed to the principle of academic freedom, as defined in its public documents. "</p>

<p>(Source is Juan Cole's web log. Cole is a professor at the University of Michigan.)</p>

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<p>I think what the loony right has failed to consider is that it will probably be far more likely to be first applied and prosecuted at places like Liberty, Oral Roberts and Bob Jones U where their radical doctrine reigns!</p>

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<p>Has that law (or similar legislation) actually been introduced in New York? Truly pathetic. If I were a professor in a state with a law like that I would make students sign a waiver before I would let them take my class. Or maybe I would just find another job.</p>

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<p>US News & World Report recently stated that the "Academic Bill of Rights" is being considered in 19 states.</p>

<p>NJres, your comment reminds me: one Colorado professor who had been targeted by Horowitz (because she'd had ideological conflicts with conservative students, mainly outside of class) began to tape her lectures. In fact, earlier this school year a student dropped her class after the first day, claiming she'd said something like Republicans couldn't pass her class (I can't recall the exact thing attributed to her). </p>

<p>The professor turned over the tape and the administration found no basis for the student's complaint. Of course, not before the student was featured on Horowitz's website and--this is what kills me--was invited to speak before the state board of higher education about this bias he'd experienced.</p>

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<p>Gee, I thought most Universities already had a student bill of rights. I know that professors have been brought up and disciplined for using examples that some students considered sexist (anti-feminists or "gay bashing") or sexually charged (a student was made to feel uncomfortable by an example involving accidental sex used to explain Judaic law) or where they were said to be prejudiced in a number of areas.</p>

<p>I think it's reasonable to expect that students shouldn't be abused or demeaned in class and that there be a fair process for determining grades. I don't really see that the state or courts have any reason to get involved except in extreme cases where you can show the school didn't abide by their own process or some such.</p>

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<p>I think some people are confusing respect for students with respect for the student's beliefs. There are certainly ideas, opinions, and "facts" that do not merit classroom time. </p>

<p>I took a Renaissance course at college. On the first day (similar to hoedown's interesting story, above), a black student stood up and told the professor that the course was irrelevant because the curriculum did not adequately deal with the experience of black people in Italy in the 1500's. The professor let him speak without once interrupting. When he finished, he looked all mutinous and ready for some big argument. But the professor (without any voice inflection, which I admire to this day), said "I respect the views you have expressed with regard to eliminating the current books from the list of required reading. Could you please now tell us which books about the Renaissance we should read?" The student looked totally baffled, and ended up saying he didn't know, and just walked out of class. Case closed. It was great.</p>

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<p>Tangentially apropros of this whole mess, has anyone else seen the editor's column in Scientific American this month? It's entitled "Okay, We Give Up," addressed to creationists and others, and it essentially says that from now on the editorial board will not try to dazzle anyone with facts, etc. It's wonderful. It also says they will begin their new policy on April Fools Day.</p>

<p>As someone who USED to teach in the Florida State University System, may I just say, "Whew!" Thank God I'm out of there! I was in the English department and didn't give away high grades, so I'm sure I would have had one or two each year who would have made veiled threats on the basis of this legislation. (Trust me--I had one try to physically assault me for calling him on easy-to-spot plagiarism once!)</p>

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<p>I read that response in Popular Science, ctymomteacher. I loved it!</p>

<p>hayden, I <em>love</em> that story! Incidentally, that's similar to an approach I'd like to bring to anyone who challenges material on that sort of 'bias': why are you taking this class? Especially now (or maybe it's just me) with the addition cultural studies departments, everything is compartmentalized. If you're taking a lower division course in, for example, Renaissance Italy in the 1500s, you should expect that it's a survey and not meant to cover every nuance. If it's upper division, there's a good chance that it has very specific goals -- ie, the development of the merchant class in North Italy between the early 16th and early 17th centuries -- in which case you really wouldn't expect to find a whole lot beyond that. If that's not what you're interested in (and you can ask the professor for a book list, or read the course description in the catalog), then you take something else. If it's not available, well, you know what to do your honors thesis on, then, don't you?</p>

<p>I think it was ironically rich to hear one of the bill's proponents ask 'why it was so unheard of to say the professor shouldn't be a dictator and control the room as their totalitarian niche' in support of a bill that, gee, was pretty dictatorial. </p>

<p>Kudos to DCC for defending the rights that already exist for students!</p>