Re: Texas Students Punished for Dorm-Room Obama Signs - NYTimes.com

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>
Date: October 9, 2008 3:07:43 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] Texas Students Punished for Dorm-Room Obama Signs -  
NYTimes.com

On Thu, Oct 09, 2008 at 02:24:23PM -0400, David Farber wrote:
> The university says the dispute has nothing to do with either  
> candidate.
> UT has had a policy for more than 10 years forbidding the posting of
> signs in dorm windows in order to control the look of the campus and
> avoid the appearance that the university is supporting any candidate,
> said Jeff Graves, an associate vice president for UT legal affairs.

Two points.

First, it's ludicrous to suggest that anyone would be stupid enough
to conclude that a university, as a matter of policy, supported any
candidate based on signs in dorm windows.  If that were indeed the
case, then one university I'm aware of could be fairly considered to be
officially endorsing Bud Lite and the Dave Matthews Band.

Second, given the myriad problems facing academic institutions -- which
I won't detail here, as I'm sure anyone reading IP is already aware of
them, some acutely so because they're living them -- THIS is what the
University of Texas has chosen to spend its time, energy and resources  
on?
Political campaign signs in dorm room windows?  Most sensible  
universities
would be delighted to observe that their students are participating in
the political process in ANY fashion.

UT should worry far less about trivia such as "controlling the look of
the campus" and far more educating its students.  (Although it could be
argued that it's certainly providing a lesson here.)

---Rsk




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