U. of Tulsa Suspends Student for Someone Else’s Facebook Post

This is what happens when the inmates run the asylum.

In a triple blow to free speech, due process, and freedom of the press, the University of Tulsa (TU) arbitrarily banned a student from campus until 2016 for Facebook posts that someone else admitted to writing and then attempted to intimidate student journalists who were trying to cover the story.

Where are the adults? “Less than two months before Barnett was set to graduate, Tanaka not only suspended him until at least 2016 but also permanently banned him from receiving a degree in his major even upon his re-enrollment.”  This was done “[w]ithout affording him the hearing he was entitled to under” the University’s rule. I think Woody Allen said it best.

Professors at U. of Michigan Question Administrators’ Extra Pay

It is well known that university administrators take care of themselves. It is encouraging that some are questioning this. “Additional pay” is category for rewarding employees, think bonuses. At Michigan, additional pay has jumped from $13M to $46M in 9 year.
It is likely that this is being abused. Read about it here.

Professor of the Year

From Critical Theory, we present the professor of the year. Samples:

  • ‘“I hate students,” he said, “they are (as all people) mostly stupid and boring.”‘
  • ‘”[I]f you don’t give me any of your shitty papers, you get an A. If you give me a paper I may read it and not like it and you can get a lower grade.” He received no papers that semester.’
  • ‘Zizek would fill up his sign-up sheet for office hours with fake names to avoid student contact.’

Why do departments and universities put up with this? Priorities are so out of whack at many schools. No one can be good enough in other areas to compensate for this. Furthermore, it is almost a given that he is not as good as he could be (nor as good as he thinks he is) because one necessary condition for learning is humility. You cannot learn anything if you already know it all.