Nearly 70 UNL faculty members say incident between lecturer and conservative student sparked 'sustai

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Rick Ruggles

Close to 70 UNL faculty members say in a letter that Gov. Pete Ricketts and others want to subject the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to “ideological intervention.”

An incident at the university on Aug. 25 has given conservatives in the state an opportunity to attack UNL, the letter says. In the incident, a conservative student was called a “neo-fascist” and flipped the bird by a UNL graduate student-lecturer.

The professors say Ricketts and some state senators tied to the governor “have leveraged a single campus interaction into a sustained attack” on UNL.

One of those who signed the letter, emeritus professor David Moshman, said some professors worry that UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green’s job is in jeopardy.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/education/nearly-unl-faculty-members-say-incident-between-lecturer-and-conservative/article_b06592c2-d3d2-11e7-b719-bfb4ebe2b75d.html

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Read the complete faculty letter here: http://www.aaup-ne.org/content/open-letter-university-nebraska-faculty-recent-attacks-our-institution

[Blue_Adept]

1. Such special snowflakes

So easily hurt.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Guess he needs a "safe space"

[Abouttime]

2. If it's the truth so be it

Fascists, rascists and right wing ideologues all must be called out and exposed.
We should have zero tolerance for hate speech at any Public University.

[slumcamper]

3. As much as I'm inclined to embrace zero tolerance for hate, I disagree

Public universities--and especially public ones--must offer a free and open forum for the exchange of ALL ideas, even those most odious to us. One must hope that a decorum of civility would be observed, to the best degree possible, amid the often tense dialogue that ensues as ideological polarities are tested in the form of the exchange of opinions and positions.

Flipping the bird and calling names on the part of the TA crossed the line; the TA is a moderator, facilitator, and can encourage and guide a broader discussion, but must not sink to exchanging slurs or accusations in the course of dialogue.

We are failing to communicate, most fundamentally. The Nebraska political class would be well advised to refrain from "making hay" of what, in essence, was a singular breach of decorum on the part of a TA who, like many of us, is learning to communicate in an era of hyper-partisan rhetoric modeled and reinforced by those at the very top of our social, political, and economic systems.

If we fear or seek to restrict the free market of ideas, we have taken a great stride toward becoming the very thing we loathe: fascists.

[LanternWaste]

4. You confuse a free market with a mere popularity contest

"If we fear or seek to restrict the free market of ideas..."

You confuse a marketplace with a mere popularity contest of ideas-- two wholly separate concepts many Randians are unable to separate.

Bumper stickers dumb us down; let's try to not contribute to them, eh?

[Omaha Steve]

7. It was outside the building, not during a class

You may not have known.

Free speech outside is a two way street.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Why Do People Who Espouse Fascist Ideology...

...get so offended when called fascists?
The definition of the terms is pretty clear!
If what you want meets that definition, own it!
No. Instead their tender feelings get hurt! Wimps!

[melm00se]

8. What I am going to say won't be popular

but as this situation took place on campus between a student and a de facto state actor(s), the case could be made that the state (via it's proxy) attempted, via intimidation, the student's 1st Amendment rights.

Turn the situation around and put a progressive in the role of the student and a conservative in the role of grad student-lecturer. Does that change your opinion? If so, why? (and be honest).