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To read Part 1 and 2 in this series, click here and here.
A recent public policy opinion poll released by the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and The Harris Poll revealed that 64% of Americans believe that “cancel culture” the bullying, boycotting, pressuring, and punishing of fellow citizens for their past and current verbal statements and written views is a threat to their freedom. 87% agree that it is a problem of varied import.
At his 2019 Foundation Summit, former President Barack Obama decried “call out culture” and cautioned young American activists. This “idea of purity, and you’ve never compromised, and you’re always politically ‘woke’ and all that stuff…you should get over that quickly. The world is messy; there are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws…if all you’re doing is casting stones you’re not going to get that far. That’s easy to do.”
A Law School Grudgingly Acknowledges Academic Freedom
In March, University of San Diego School Law Professor Thomas Smith found himself under investigation for a “racist” blog post with students calling for his resignation. The investigation has now ended with the finding that Smith’s speech is “protected by [USD’s] policy on academic freedom.” After all, as provost Gail F. Baker says, that “lies at the core of the mission of the University of San Diego.”
Great. But if academic freedom lies at the core of the mission of the University of San Diego, how come no one in the administration knows what it is?
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t s the kind of report that begins with a quote about good and evil from Alexander Solzhenitsyn, uses little Black Lives Matter fist logos as its bullet points and declares, in bold, that social justice education poses a threat to education in America and to the American way of life. Social Justice Ideology in Idaho Higher Education, a December 2020 report published by the right-wing Idaho Freedom Foundation, condemns what it sees as a toxic ideology dividing the world into aggrieved minorities and oppressive majorities infesting Idaho s college campuses. But it goes beyond merely tallying up courses that push concepts like diversity, equity and White privilege it recommends a government crackdown on them.
Law student who quoted from opinion, including its racial slur, finds herself at center of controversy
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A first-year law student who used the N-word when quoting a legal opinion that used the racial epithet is said to be distraught over the controversy that followed. She has also hired a lawyer.
The incident happened in October at the Rutgers Law School in Newark, New Jersey, during an after-class videoconference session attended by the 1L, who is white, two other students and a law professor, Vera Bergelson, the New York Times reports.
The 1L used the word during a discussion about conspiracy convictions for crimes committed by co-conspirators, according to a summary of the incident written by professors.
The University of San Diego (USD) has ended its investigation into a professor who criticized the Chinese government in a blog post. Campus free speech organization FIRE commented: "Although USD's investigation into Smith should never have begun, FIRE applauds USD for ending the investigation and coming to the correct conclusion: Faculty cannot be punished for protected expression just because some may be offended."