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From: Jagels, Rick
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2017 1:48 PM
To: Teaching Breakfast List
Subject: RE: A Criticism of Higher Ed - and an idea!

Jim,

That is so spot on that it is painful.  It has been thus for years and only seems to get worse, as we focus on the narrowest indicators of “diversity”. I have often said that I had more fearless, open-minded, diverse conversations on the construction jobsite, than almost ever I did on campus. What’s a “diverse” conversation? It is an exchange where the topic is poked from every angle, no holds barred, no one shamed because they overstepped “that which must not be uttered”. Try that on a campus discussion of legal vs illegal immigration (may I say “illegal immigration”?) or black on black crime (do black lives matter in a black neighborhood, statistically?) or could PBS survive in the marketplace? Is Planned Parenthood really a major women’s health source? IS there a pay gap? (dare we examine the possible arguments that put the lie to the noption?) PLEASE, before you ban me, I don’t necessarily endorse any of the implied positions, but have those conversations even been broached on campus?

Then there is the abundance of political/historical issues. Why has strict interpretation of the constitution become racist, dangerous unthinkable? Why is a candidate espousing that dismissed out of hand? What is governments proper role? No conservative in her right mind would deny that certain ideas are good ideas, she just cannot fathom why the state, through the power of taxation (arguably, at some point theft) has any responsibility to enact and force on the population every good sounding idea that comes along. The video you cite, Jim, has many other examples of fodder for open-minded discussion.

I guess that at a bare minimum, every argument has a counterargument; that there are myriad examples of no counterargument being seriously presented in the university environment is disturbing.  That anyone who might actually promote those ideas is violently shut down, is frightening.  Berkeley, home of the FSM (Free Speech Movement) has been the site of disgusting examples of anti free speech. 

In my experience, that video is spot on, the examples are real, I have witnessed the  hostility and dismissiveness to which conservatives are subject on campus.  It is as much an environmental as academic/classroom attitude.

If anyone who calls themselves an academic or intellectual cannot find good examples of sound “other” thought, then they are far from academic or intellectual.

Thanks for the RANT opportunity Jim

Rick Jagels

From: Conway, Paul
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2017 11:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A Criticism of Higher Ed - and an idea!

Hi Jim, et al -

Still provoking thoughts with good essays that you share?! 

Thus is one we talked about years ago but now it may be more timely.

I'm guessing that affirmative action without capital letters should be pushed be department 

Chairs but with caps and institutional backing it would be doomed.

The time might be ripe for a college sponsored SUNY Symposium on 

"Ideological Diversity - Do we lack it? Why? Can we get it? How?"
(or some such title)

See if department chairs from Philosophy, Sociology, and Political Science can combine 

to call for an interdisciplinary conference on campus in the fall. Call for papers, new ideas 

and publicity for the such an event. It would certainly attract attention (even nationally) 

and enthusiastic engagement (even locally, with our own students). 

Maybe even invite a good conservative thinker like Kathleen Parker or David Brooks to be keynote 

speaker? (We should think big!)

Cheers,

PaulC

Cheers,

Paul

On Apr 15, 2017, at 12:44 PM, Ploss, Tim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Jim,

Do you think we should institute some sort of Affirmative Action/quota program so conservative thought can have a seat at the higher ed table? Why isn't conservative thought more competitive in the critical-thinking business already?

On Apr 14, 2017, at 12:29 PM, Greenberg, Jim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hi TBers,

Sorry I haven't be poking the bee hive lately.    Below is a link to an article and video that is critical of HE's diversity of thought.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with this argument. Enjoy (if you have the time).

PragerU Video: The Least Diverse Place In America www.dailywire.com What is the least diverse place in America? It is the very place that should be the most diverse: the college campus.

Jim Greenberg