In Praise of “Mixed Feelings”

Daily Kos has run a post that includes samples of the work of Cabu, a long-time cartoonist with Charlie Hebdo who was gunned down at age 75. The title of the post is “The Charlie Hebdo Cartoons No One is Showing You,” and it is available at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/11/1357057/-The-Charlie-Hebdo-cartoons-no-one-is-showing-you?. I find two of the cartoons to…

Ten Decades of AAUP Investigations

BY AAUP STAFF In the January–February 2015 Academe issue, Jordan E. Kurland—the AAUP’s associate general secretary—reflects on ten important AAUP investigations, one from each decade the association’s history. From the 1915 report of an investigation at the University of Utah to the 2007 report on Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Universities, Kurland, an AAUP staff…

The Je Suis Charlie Movement Ends Wednesday

Michael Katims is a screenwriter and translator. Sunday morning I went to the supermarket around the corner from my apartment in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where I have lived for the past 18 years. Near the turnstiles at the entrance, and at every checkout register, were signs saying “JE SUIS CHARLIE”. Printed in white…

Private Colleges and the White Middle Class

In a recent blog in the Washington Post, Max Ehrenfreund suggests that private colleges are a waste of money for white, middle class kids. He asks: “Is it worth unloading your life’s savings or having your child take on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans?” Mr. Ehrenfreund notes the disparity in the average…

Let’s Hope That This Isn’t the Higher Ed Version of the NAFTA

When the North American Free Trade Agreement was formally initiated, its advocates predicted an economic boom that would benefit everyone, while its detractors warned that it would be a disaster for American workers and the natural environment. Predictably, neither side seems to have been completely right. NAFTA has resulted in the largest trading bloc in…

Some Early Thoughts on President Obama’s Proposal for Free Education at U.S. Community Colleges

I should begin by stating that I am in favor of any proposal that provides free higher education at public colleges and universities. In fact, I am in favor of any proposal that reduces the cost to students without compromising the quality of instruction. I think that the president’s proposal will help community colleges because…

Why Sanctimony Is No Defense against Zealotry

To some extent, sanctimony is the “civilized” version of dogma enforced by social, religious, or political conformity and then, when that proves insufficient, the threat of force. There is now a great deal of attention to the nature of the satire published in Charlie Hebdo, with some commentators finding it almost embarrassingly juvenile and others…

Strange Bedfellows… at the Kiddie Table?

Twice a day, a stopped clock is right, right? Sometimes I even find something laudable in what David Brooks writes. Today, for example, I agree with his conclusion–but his argument is so bizarre that I can only surmise he got to a truth through the turning of the earth. As I wrote yesterday, I am moving…