Acadamic Freedom- How Not To Do It
This is a good example of how not to exercise academic freedom.
We have academic freedom in order to be able to do worthwhile research and unpopular research, and to enable us to teach unpopular ideas. We do not have it in order to enable us to goad students on to riot in a physics class ( Read more... )
We have academic freedom in order to be able to do worthwhile research and unpopular research, and to enable us to teach unpopular ideas. We do not have it in order to enable us to goad students on to riot in a physics class ( Read more... )
Comments 1
However, your summary reminds me of 1970. We were in the middle of the anti-war riots At the U of M and it was early May and wonderful weather. At least a thousand kids were on the mall, mostly sunning. However, Greg Dunkel, a math grad Asst, was inarticulating through a bullhorn from the steps in front of McKeldon Library. These anti-war speeches had been going on for weeks, punctuated by some building occupations, police confrontations, tear gas, arrests, etc.
My fried Dave Y. was watching the proceedings and was miserable because he had a physics exam scheduled in a half hour and felt like he didn't know the material. Suddenly he started shouting "Physics Building....Physics Building" and waving his arm in that direction. People in the crowd picked up the chant and withing five minutes at least a hundred people marched down to the physics building and occupied it. David was not among them. That exam never got made up.
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