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Broad Coalition Decries Blacklist of Professors and Efforts to Limit Free Speech on Campus (CP Wire) -- A coalition of student, faculty and civil liberty groups calling itself “Free Exchange on Campus” is condemning a blacklist of 101 professors. The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America is edited by David Horowitz, who has been instrumental in introducing legislation, the so-called “Academic Bill of Rights” (ABOR), in 24 states. If adopted, ABOR would limit the speech of college and university professors. “The book is purposefully misleading. Mr. Horowitz claims to be protecting the classroom, but most of his stories talk about activities that happen outside the classroom. The only thing Horowitz proves in this book is the distance he is willing to go to silence his critics,” said Kathy Sproles, President of the National Education Association’s National Council for Higher Education. The book states on its cover, “Terrorists, racists and communists - you know them as The Professors.” “To hear them tell it, left-wing indoctrinators control universities without regard for teaching, but their evidence has been either thin or completely fictitious,” said William Scheuerman, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers and a professor of political science at the State University of New York. Last month, at a hearing before Pennsylvania state lawmakers, Horowitz was forced to retract his previous claims, such as a story about a Penn State University biology professor who had supposedly shown the film Fahrenheit 9/11 to a class of science students. He also backed away from a story about a student allegedly given a lower grade because of his views on abortion. Last month, facing public outrage, a Horowitz protégé at UCLA, Andrew Jones, was forced to abandon a campaign to pay students to spy on professors. Jones is the author of a blacklist of UCLA faculty called, “The Dirty Thirty.” In The Professors, Horowitz attacks professors for having communist relatives. He cites the distinguished Columbia University history professor Eric Foner, whose uncle was a member of the Communist Party. The book also condemns Foner for quoting African-American author and Cold War-era communist Paul Robeson, who said, “The patriot is the person who is never satisfied with his country.” University of Illinois communications professor Robert McChesney, whose
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students have selected him as an awardwinning instructor, comes under attack by Horowitz for raising questions about the news media, its corporate ownership and what effect that has on news coverage. Said McChesney, “They used two quotations from my two decade-long career as a teacher as evidence that I somehow use the classroom as a bully pulpit to push liberal causes. This is as illogical as taking two paragraphs from a conservative faculty member and concluding that they propagandize exclusively for conservative ideologies.” Georgetown University law professor Mari Masuda is criticized for her courses that mix the study of law with social activism. Larry Estrada, associate professor of ethnic studies at Western Washington University, is accused of favoring the creation of an independent Hispanic state in America’s Southwest to be called “Atzlan.” Said Estrada, “I think this attack is libelous. They never contacted me or talked to me about my viewpoints. I’ve never advocated secession.” Other professors are attacked seemingly for practicing Islam, questioning immigration policies or suggesting that middle-school students can be motivated to learn through rap music. “The college experience is supposed to be about the free exchange of ideas. A good university is supposed to have faculty with a wide range of viewpoints. I don’t agree with everything that is said in my classrooms - nor am I supposed to,” said NEA student chairperson Mandy Plucker of South Dakota State University. “I don’t want to see my professors blacklisted for speaking freely and I don’t want the government interfering with decisions that rightfully belong on campus.” “David Horowitz seeks to undermine the well-placed confidence of this nation in its exemplary higher education system,” said Roger Bowen, general secretary of the American Association of University Professors. Added Bowen, “Students from all over the world come to study here because of the quality of education that comes from the free exchange of ideas. David Horowitz, apparently, is afraid of free exchange, and would like the government to step in and control the flow of information and discussions.” Free Exchange on Campus is a coalition of organizations representing college and university faculty, students and civil liberty groups. Coalition members oppose attempts to limit academic freedom and free speech on America’s campuses.
Vol. 54 Issue 12 February 20, 2006
Surf Here, Surf There, Surf Anywhere: CCC Boasts New Wireless Network OpenCayuga: The Open Wireless Network at Cayuga
By: Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-Chief and Mathew Krattz, Contributing Writer Where are you standing right now? With today’s technology, chances are you can access the internet right there. Thanks to Cayuga Community College’s OpenCayuga program, students, guests, faculty and staff can access the internet free from any one of the more popular spots on campus. What do you need? Don’t worry – there’s not an assemblage of fancy wires or an unwieldy manual -- you just need a laptop with a wireless network adapter. The program became available at the beginning of the spring 2006 semester and is funded by the Student Technology Fee. David Harbaugh, Cayuga’s network administrator, believes that students are getting exactly what they paid for. “We’re glad to be able to put the student’s money toward something they are excited about,” he said. “I, along with other staff members, am also very excited about the program.” Students can access the network from the library, cafeteria, student development office, the admission’s office lobby and the Nucor conference room. The most popular area around campus when it comes to accessing OpenCayuga seems to be the library. “While
I don’t always have direct contact with students, I have gathered that most people use it in the library,” Harbaugh said. Martha Lollis, library director at CCC, agrees. “A lot of students are taking advantage of this opportunity and we’ve seen a lot of use here in the library,” she said. “It is a very comfortable atmosphere. We have a lot of resources and that presents a really good opportunity for students to work together on projects.” In some instances, some students may not even have to own their own laptops to access the network. “People can choose to bring in their own laptops, but if they don’t have one, the library can loan them out,” Lollis said. You must have a valid library card and picture identification, along with a laptop loan agreement on file. There is a 2 hour limit-use on the laptops – which are designated for current students and faculty members only. Harbaugh says that printers may be on the horizon for OpenCayuga. However, there is no set date for complete installation and he does not expect them in the immediate future.
Vice President Cheney Shoots Hunter Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-Chief United States Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a companion with birdshot while hunting quail on a private Texas ranch, injuring the man in the face, neck and chest, the vice president’s office confirmed. Cheney was hunting with Harry Whittington, 78, a prominent Texas lawyer, on the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas. Hearing a covey of birds, Cheney shot at one, not realizing that Whittington had startled the quail and that he was in the line of fire. Hospital spokeswoman Yvonne Wheeler said that Whittington is out of intensive care. “He’s in good sprits and
he had a good night,” she said. Katharine Armstrong, one of the ranch’s owners, said Cheney was using a 28gauge shotgun, which shoots fewer pellets and has a smaller shot pattern than a 12-gauge shotgun, making it harder to hit the target. It was Armstrong’s decision to alert the news media. Cheney’s office made no public announcement, deciding to defer to Armstrong because the incident had taken place on her property. Armstrong called the Corpus Christi Caller-Times about 18 hours after the incident and when a reporter from the paper called the White House, the vice president’s office confirmed the incident.