In November of 1990, I was in Togo’s capital city, Lomé, finishing up the paperwork for the close of my Peace Corps service. A friend and I, as we usually did in the morning when we were in the city, had found a street stand serving coffee, bread and eggs to people who would eat…
The following statement was issued today, February 24, by the American Association of University Professors. A media release may be found here. This statement from the national office of the American Association of University Professors is sent on behalf of the local AAUP chapters at University of North Carolina institutions and the statewide North Carolina…
Colleges are usually at the forefront of radical politics [The word “radical” suggests extreme and abrupt change driven by ideological rather than practical concerns. These days there is much more political radicalism on the Far Right than anywhere on the Left], but when it comes to their own privileges they become feudal empires [Loaded language…
Patricia Arquette is being slammed from both the Left and the Right for her comments during and after her acceptance speech for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. From the Left, the criticism has come largely from other disadvantaged groups who feel that her focus was too narrowly on women’s issues,…
A few days ago, a University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ working group recommended shutting down three centers on university campuses, including Chapel Hill’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity — even though the center is self-funding. Critics of the decision, including John Charles “Jack” Boger, dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law,…
AAUP chapters across the country will be tabling, holding teach-ins, lobby days, films screenings, or other activities as part of National Adjunct Walkout Day this Wednesday, February 25. The day, a grassroots effort, is planned to highlight adjunct faculty labor issues and to insist on fair wages and better working conditions. Participating chapters include Aurora…
Now is the time of the year that most college and university boards of trustees meet to set in place what the comprehensive fee – tuition, fees, room and board – will be for next year. It’s a telling moment for higher education. The emerging trends drawn from hundreds of institutional decisions will provide a…
Paul Krugman opens his column today in The New York Times by saying, “I sometimes mock ‘very serious people’ — politicians and pundits who solemnly repeat conventional wisdom that sounds tough-minded and realistic.” These are the people at the Lippmann end of the John Dewey/Walter Lippmann polarity, the elite who believe they have the knowledge and skills to present the…
The first item is from the Huffington Post. Written by Andy McDonald, it is a fill-in-the-blanks template for the acceptance speeches made by those who win Academy Awards. It is available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/18/oscar-acceptance-speech-mad-lib-photo_n_6708368.html?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003 It goes a long way toward clarifying why the red-carpet interviews have become almost as interesting as, if not more interesting than,…
Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that I have hardly been reluctant to address issues that have arisen at my own university. So I was not surprised when I received several e-mails asking how—not if—I was going to address the latest incident that has brought Wright State national attention that it…