fousesquawk
UC Santa Barbara
The University of California at Santa Barbara has recently been embroiled in a controversy over sociology Professor William Robinson after he sent an e-mail to his students with images that compared the state of Israel to Nazis. Two offended students complained and an investigation was launched as to whether Robinson had abused his position to advance his personal views. Recently, the UC Academic Senate cleared Robinson.
June 24, 2009
TO: Prof. William Robinson
Department of Sociology
FR: Gene Lucas
Executive Vice Chancellor
Re: Charges Committee Findings
"I have received the report of the Charges Committee regarding charges brought against you. The Committee did not find probable cause to undertake disciplinary action in this matter.
I have accepted the findings of the Charges Committee. Accordingly, this matter is now terminated
Under the Campus Procedures for Enforcement of the Faculty Code of Conduct, "the complainant and/or faculty member complained against may request, in writing, from the Charges Officer, a summary of the Committee's findings." If you would like such a summary, please make such a request to Prof. Scharleman, the Charges Officer."
(Huffington Post)
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Amid the turmoil and intimidation that many Jewish students have encountered on several UC campuses as a result of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the issue of Robinson's free speech was upheld.
However, as an adjunct teacher at UCI, I would like to make a comment. What Robinson did is not new on US university campuses. Many professors routinely attempt to indoctrinate their students as to their own personal point of view. Some even go so far as to ridicule students in class who disagree and penalize them in grading. (I don't know if Robinson falls into that category or not.) In my view, it is unprofessional for a teacher to try and impose his or her personal political views on students in the classroom-or in the course of teaching their class-such as e-mails to students comparing Israelis to Nazis. I know a lot of academics disagree with me, but that's my opinion. While I have obtained a certain amount of notoriety on the UC Irvine campus for expressing my views in forums outside the classroom, such as rallies and letters to the campus newspaper-I always try to keep my personal views out of the classroom (English as a second language). And don't think a language classroom can't be infected with political opinions-as I learned while studying French with one professor at California State University at Los Angeles in the 1960s.
My students have no idea what I think of the world, and I feel no need to share it with them. I view my job as helping them improve their English. They are young adults from various nations and backgrounds with their own life experiences and world views, which I treat with respect. I do not view it as part of my mission to teach my students what they should think of the world. To do so, in my view, is downright unprofessional.
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I could not agree more with this article. I speak from experience. My mother, god rest her soul, was an English Professor at the Claremont Colleges back in the late 1960s and 1970s. She was very liberal, far to the left but she never brought her politics or world views into her class rooms or exposed her students to her views. She was in the forefront against professors who did this back then. She was criticized and they trried to marginalize her because she spoke and wrote aginst this type of behavior. I find it disgusting and disturbing that teachers like Robinson get away with this all the time now. First and foremost my Mom was an English teacher and she remained loyal throughout her career to the same thing that Mr. Fouse is loyal to, teaching his students english while respecting their diverse and different backgrounds and cultures.
ReplyDeleteI was exposed to the hypocrisy of the left in my youth and at 56, now I am very far to the right and fighting for causes that are the gravest of threats to the constitutional foundations of this great country. Mr Fouse, an excellent article and view of this problem on our colleges and universities. Thank you for your efforts and I have posted this at my blog. That is how great I think this is.
Thank you for your response. The public needs to be fully aware of what is happening on our campuses. That includes my own, and to be sure, I have alienated the adminstration at UCI because of their unwillingeness to stand up to the anti-Semitic hate speech by MSU-spopnsored speakers.
ReplyDelete