ICECAP.us received the following e-mail revealing how the folks at the University of Colorado, many of whom fought to deflect complaints about the hateful rantings of Ward Churchill as attacks on free speech and open academic inquiry, have failed to extend those same rights to one of their own scientific colleagues — at least, not one who might upset the global-warming gravy train.
The student wisely chooses to remain anonymous in reporting a professor openly asking his students to organize in protest of thought and speech of which the professor disapproves; of course, he’ll be watching.
If you aren’t someone who simply read that without blinking and asking yourself, why? (see “gravy train” above) and why do we accept such a state of affairs? then this book is for you.
Emphases below to passive, sneaky, or sniveling language are added. Read this, but also enjoy the unacceptable, must-be-muzzled slide show prompting an academic “investigative committee.”
The following email was shared around to graduate students, from another graduate student, at the Atmospheric Sciences Dept at University of Colorado following a dustup over Dr. Richard Keen’s “global warming quiz” which has been removed from the University website. The Dept has set up an investigative committee. So much for academic freedom. I wish to remain anonymous.
Hi all,
As you may or may not be aware, there has recently been concern overinaccurate, partisan teaching in an ATOC 1050 class. The material
presented in the class seriously misrepresented scientific data, had a
significant political slant, and has now made its way across various
climate change related blogs. The faculty requested the material be
removed from the atoc server, as it was felt that by hosting the
material this implied an endorsement by ATOC. In response, the
material is now hosted off site and there is now a link on the atoc
server to this material:
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/Globalwarmingquiz.pdf
In my personal opinion, ATOC continues to implicitly endorse thismaterial by continuing to allow the presentation of it in class and
hosting it (now a link) on the atoc server. By supporting bogus
science and politically oriented teaching, I believe that:
1) The reputation of a graduate degree from ATOC is diminished.2) Future graduate students who are motivated by the pursuit of
objective science will be less likely to apply and accept offers of
admission.
Faculty members value academic freedom and are therefore justifiablyhesitant to suppress views that run counter to the mainstream
scientific consensus. As such, I believe that the ATOC faculty are
unclear on how to handle this.
My suggestion is that ATOC create and enforce a policy of onlyteaching material from peer reviewed scientific sources. I do not
think this is too much to ask for a science department. However, I am
not sure that faculty members will endorse that suggestion due to
their concerns over academic freedom. If you, as graduate students,
have any other suggestions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.
I will compile thoughts, remove names, and forward them on to the
faculty. The faculty ultimately have the choice on how, or if, to
respond – that’s not our call. However, I do think that if there was
a strong consensus from graduate students on how to handle this, the
faculty would take our opinion seriously.
Thanks,Matt
–Matt Higgins
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
University of Colorado – Boulder
Despite obviously not being limited by space considerations, the complainant offers few specifics of the alleged transgressions — except for a perceived political slant. Presumably, this concerns Keen’s criticisms of Al Gore, whose wild-eyed claims have hysterically politicized the issue of climate change. [Thus, noting that politicization is to insert politics. Dialectics never flowed so smoothly.] Oddly enough, I don’t recall Higgins’ complaints about the misrepresentations of scientific fact in An Inconvenient Truth, the falsehoods in which have been laid bare in open court.
Once again, the real offense is refusing to go along with group-think and group-speak. The American academy: champion of free speech and open inquiry. As the great chronicler of climate change Thomas Jefferson noted, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.