The Fora: A Higher Education Community

QuoteDartmouth's President Is Censured by Faculty Over Protest Actions
The president, Sian Leah Beilock, called in the police just hours after a pro-Palestinian encampment went up on campus. A bystander and a professor were injured.[/quote

From the article:

QuoteThe Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth College voted on Monday to censure the university's president, Sian Leah Beilock, over her decision to summon the police to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus, calling her action harmful to the community and disruptive to the university's educational mission.

The censure motion was adopted by a vote of 183 to 163, according to Justin Anderson, a spokesman for Dartmouth.

The close vote illustrated the division on campus over Dr. Beilock's decision on May 1, made just hours after the encampment had been erected on the college green. At the meeting, Dr. Beilock defended her actions, saying that she believed there was a reasonable and credible threat of violence.

QuoteIn a statement, the university noted that a censure vote had no practical effect. And the chair of Dartmouth's board, Liz Lempres, applauded Dr. Beilock for her "strong leadership" in nearly impossible circumstances. "The board unequivocally and unanimously supports President Beilock," she said in a statement.

Eighty-nine people were arrested, including two faculty members, as the police moved in to clear the encampment this month. One faculty member, Annelise Orleck, a labor historian, was knocked to the ground as she tried to grab her phone from a police officer.

It's never a good idea to grab anything from a police officer, let alone approach one when asked to leave the premises.

In other news,

QuoteAfter Anti-Israel Speeches, a Law School Curtails Graduation Traditions
CUNY Law School is known for its diversity and activism, and lately for strongly worded pro-Palestinian commencement addresses. This year, the administration canceled its annual student speech.

The first few paragraphs from the article:

QuoteFor the past two years, commencement speakers at the City University of New York School of Law have made support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel a focus of their speeches.

The backlash was intense.

So this year, well before other campuses across the United States faced upheaval over pro-Palestinian student demonstrations, the CUNY law school administration took a new tack. In September, before the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the school announced that there would be no student speaker at all at this year's commencement ceremony.

The choice is now drawing its own backlash and has brought more controversy to the event.

This spring, several students at the school sued university officials, saying that the school was suppressing speech and infringing on their First Amendment rights by not allowing a student-elected speaker to give an address. Two guests who had been scheduled to speak — Deborah N. Archer, a civil rights lawyer and president of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Muhammad U. Faridi, a litigator — recently withdrew from the event.

The ceremony will now have no outside speakers and no keynote address, the law school said.

The plot thickens; campus talks, professors, and students are under scrutiny, according to an article in The Gothamist.

Quote from: Hibush on Today at 05:27:47 AMFor Columbia Univesity in particular, the uniquely bad police violence was instigated by outside agitators in the business community, who called the NYC mayor to have polcie come to campus and bash heads. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/16/business-leaders-chat-group-eric-adams-columbia-protesters/

A university administration needs to stand against that type of invasion. It takes special awareness to recognize the "business leaders" in this role. It is not that uncommon for the police to be used by the powerful to suppress dissent and accountability, even in the US. That is what was happening at Columbia.

Scroll down to see the protestors with their faces and heads covered use a hammer to break a glass window so that they could enter the building.

Good morning!

Pangrams and above genius. Last word was moony.

baptize/exchange

Thanks, ab_grp. According to the therapist, the pain was most likely due to an inflammation, which seems to have subsided. I think the pain medication, which is also anti-inflammatory, helped. The last time I had a series of physical therapy appointments was in June last year, so it's been a while since I'd been to this facility. The two physical therapists who usually work on my back greeted me like a long lost friend! Is your husband's consult/appointment today? Sending you both good wishes.

Happy solving!

Morning!

Back on schedule.

Yesterday was a day of /facepalm misses. QBwH for anatomy. LB needed a hint for baptize-exchange because in my brain it's spelled baptise.

Let's see how today goes!

Happy solving!

Quote from: apl68 on May 20, 2024, 12:57:22 PMThe DEI world just can't catch a break.  Now in the news--a former DEI program manager at first Facebook and then Nike convicted and sentenced for stealing $5 million through her work, using various kinds of fraud and kickbacks. 


https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-diversity-program-manager-facebook-and-nike-sentenced-federal-prison-5-million


She has just handed those who write DEI in general off as nothing more than a boondoggle a jumbo-sized magazine of ammunition.  It's got to be enough to make DEI officers who are passionate about their work put their faces in their hands.

In my experience I have observed people who are a little on the outside and believe that all sorts of programs are really a racket for insiders.

So when they get on the "inside," they believe they are just doing what "everyone else" is doing.

I have had people get very upset with me when I try to explain that procedures are X, and we can do as they asked, still, we need to follow the procedures. Oh, you don't actually want to demonstrate you are doing what you are getting paid to do? That's... kind of a problem.

For Columbia Univesity in particular, the uniquely bad police violence was instigated by outside agitators in the business community, who called the NYC mayor to have polcie come to campus and bash heads. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/16/business-leaders-chat-group-eric-adams-columbia-protesters/

A university administration needs to stand against that type of invasion. It takes special awareness to recognize the "business leaders" in this role. It is not that uncommon for the police to be used by the powerful to suppress dissent and accountability, even in the US. That is what was happening at Columbia.

I spent around 20 hours on a series of flights last week, so watched a few movies:

Tar (2022)

Cate Blanchett is amazing in this and deserves the various awards that she won. It takes a while to get to the point, but it does follow through quite effectively. My only qualm is with the last 15 minutes or so - I would have left that on the cutting room floor.

Grade: B+


Bombshell (2019)

The story of Roger Ailes fall from Fox News, and the women who brought him down (especially Megyn Kelly). This is told in the same style as The Big Short and Vice, with lots of quick cuts and winks to the camera, which is perhaps not the best way to tell a story about sexual harassment. On the other hand, the performances are all good and they look nearly identical to the people they are portraying. Overall, it is watchable, but not good.

Grade: C+

Past Lives (2023)

Nice little film about immigration and culture and leaving things behind. It is well written, acted, and paced. And it has really stayed with me over the last few days.

Grade: A

Quote from: secundem_artem on May 20, 2024, 01:30:49 PM

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on May 20, 2024, 10:27:20 AM

Quote from: Ancient Fellow on May 20, 2024, 03:36:51 AMConsidering the sacrifices made by post grads and their families to earn a doctorate, especially in the midst of such a terrible economy and job market, I think the university's granting a doctorate to a friendly cat is remarkably tone-deaf.

I don't know that that's substantively different from most other honorary doctorate recipients, though. Here, the default is just some civil servant who's done nothing more than their job for thirty years.

I thought that's how you get an MBE.

Not all that different from the Oxford MA, then!

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on May 20, 2024, 10:25:48 AMTwelve pages today.

Got them in.

Then, there was this...https://www.savannahnow.com/story/lifestyle/columns/2012/04/30/filler-dont-bet-pineapple/13659237007/