Thursday, October 19, 2006

Free-speech group decries Marquette removal of quote

Megan Twohey reports in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The quote: "As Americans we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful, and relentless. I refer, of course, to the federal government."

It's from a column by Dave Barry. A graduate student teaching assistant in the Philosophy Department put it on his office door.
But shortly after the quote went up, it was removed by the department's chairman, associate professor James South. In a Sept. 5 e-mail to Ditsler and the other teaching assistants, South called the quote "patently offensive." He said free-speech zones required him to take it down.

"I'm afraid that hallways and office doors are not 'free-speech zones,' " South wrote. "If material is patently offensive and has no obvious academic import or university sanction, I have little choice but to take note."


Here's the Philosophy Department page on the MU web site. The department logo symbolizes that they're in the dark because no one knows how many of its faculty it will take to screw in that light bulb.

Update: It will take more than four, according to an email from the quote-removing Department Chair James South to the quote-posting T.A..

I did not do so unilaterally, but consulted two members of the Executive Committee and the Assistant Chair.

1 comment:

  1. When they were the WARRIORS this sort of stuff didn't happen.

    Coincidence?

    ReplyDelete