Northern Kentucky University Does the Right Thing
April 18th, 2006 at 9:15 am by Preston Taylor Holmes(via Insty)
You probably remember last week’s case of unhinged professor Sally Jacobsen from NKU who, along with her students, went on a cross-stomping rampage through a pro-life display on campus.
University President James Votruba has issued a letter detailing Jacobsen’s fate and the University’s commitment to true freedom of speech. An excerpt:
Northern Kentucky University has a distinguished record of addressing important public issues in a balanced way. We are proud that, as a campus, we are not the captive of one ideology or point of view. At their best, universities are not places of comfortable conformity. They are places where ideas collide as students and faculty search for deeper understandings and perspectives.
While the University supports the right to free speech and vigorous debate on public issues, we cannot condone infringement of the rights of others to express themselves in an orderly manner. By leading her students in the destruction of an approved student organization display, Professor Sally Jacobsen’s actions were inconsistent with Northern Kentucky University’s commitment to free and open debate and the opportunity for all sides to be heard without threat of censorship or reprisal.
Read the entire letter at Insty’s place.
Very well put by the University President – college campuses are (or at least should be) hotbeds of divergent opinion. Just as a conservative doesn’t have the right to tear down an approved leftist display of whatever their idiotic issue of the day may be, Professor Hagatha doesn’t have the right to destroy a display that she finds offensive. It’s good to hear that Jacobsen is done at NKU at the end of this semester and it’s nice to see a University acting in an even-handed fashion for once.
April 18th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Also glad to hear of the Universities plans to remove Professor Horrible. Young adults need as much responsible guidance as they can get. I have two semi-radical son’s 18/22 still in the process of learning rational thinking when it comes to world events and politics. Just this morning one of them started on the Bush blame game over gas prices. Of course I explained the issue, all the while telling him to STFU before I back handed him.
April 18th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
The problem is that they are still allowing her to retire.
Fire her without benefits as a warning to the next one (of either the left or right persuasion) in line.
April 18th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Good point Jeff. That would be a better outcome, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
April 21st, 2006 at 10:11 am
[...] Michelle Malkin has gotten a rash of very hateful mail from her detractors. Hate mails is par for the course with being in the public, commenting, runnnig a blog, etc, but some of this stuff really does go over the line. Freedom of speech does go both ways and just because someone opposes you did does not give you the right to degrade them personally or act / destory their statements (click here for how the Northern KY Univ case turned out). Vigerious debate is great, personal attackes and destruction such as these are uncalled for. [...]