https://www.contrariannews.org/p/academic-freedom-advocates-stand
"It is all too common, as Anne Applebaum wrote of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South
Carolina, for a Republican politician to “abandon his previous ideals, to bury
the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a
loud, opportunistic collaborator.” We have seen a horde of figures in civil
society make their Faustian bargain with Donald Trump and his authoritarian,
white supremacist regime. However, for those in positions of responsibility in
academe, Big Law, media, and business, there is an alternative to slavish
careerism and unbridled ambition to climb the inner rungs of power.
Even when elite institutions appear ready to buckle, individuals and groups
with modest financial resources and limited legal protections have proven that
they can stand up — at great risk to themselves— and shame the
accommodationists, thereby slowing the rush to collaborate with a tyrannical
regime. The contrast between feeble ingratiators and principled dissenters has
been especially vivid in the realm of higher education.
Harvard, Penn, and a batch of elite universities have compromised academic
independence and thrown diversity under the bus to ward off Trump regime
threats to slash funding by signing off on agreements that compromise academic
independence, allow government oversight, forfeit efforts to recruit a diverse
student population, and cede protection for vulnerable LBGTQ+ students.
These sorts of agreements, which have been imposed at Penn and the University
of Virginia, have been roundly condemned for abrogating First Amendment rights
and academic freedom, two cornerstones of our democracy. “These agreements are
vague, contradictory and contain unlawful terms that subject universities to
ongoing legal jeopardy,” wrote two Yale alums currently teaching at Penn. “For
example, following Virginia’s policy could imperil Yale’s laudable efforts to
expand access to low-income and first-generation college students.” Some of
these extortionist deals have limited foreign student enrollment and forced
schools to discriminate against trans students. They’ve also opened a Pandora’s
box of ongoing litigation. “Provisions that conflict with the law and with one
another expose institutions to liability from all directions. Also, the use of
vague terms such as DEI, gender ideology, and domestic terrorism bolsters
executive discretion and invites overcompliance.”"
Via Kevin O'Brien and Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
