CAMPUS

April 2nd, 2009

Video of Newspaper Theft at UMass Amherst

A YouTube video has been posted of the newspaper theft at UMass Amherst that I wrote about yesterday. Check it out after the jump:

Posted in Blog
By CJ Ciaramella

April 2nd, 2009

Why Obama Could Cost Jenkins His Job

As resistance to President Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame becomes more defined, it seems clear that the resolve of the university’s administration has stiffened. University President Father Jenkins, C.S.C. has reiterated his invitation to the President, claiming that under no circumstances will the invite be revoked. Some Catholic bishops have condemned the invitation because of Obama’s pro-life policies. It is significant to note that the claim of the bishops and alumni is not without standing as the university failed to invite President Clinton because of similar concerns. The alumni and student body have formed a petition to convince Jenkins of the widespread dissatisfaction resulting from a pro-life politician speaking at the most critical moment of the academic year. This petition has receiving stunning support, and implicates a dark future for Jenkins’ job security.

Posted in Blog
By Michael Reer

April 1st, 2009

Conservative Paper Stolen at UMass Amherst

FIRE reports that the conservative paper at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Minuteman, had its latest issue stolen off the racks. Worse, campus security and the the university administration did nothing to stop the theft. Just another case of tolerance and understanding at a fine institution of higher education.

Posted in Blog
By CJ Ciaramella

March 30th, 2009

BC Fights Bill Ayers

Boston College’s administration was caught off guard on Friday when the Boston Globe called seeking comment about a Bill Ayers event to be held on campus. The event, which was co-sponsored by the College Democrats and the Lynch School of Education, was entitled The State of Democracy in America, and was to take place in one of the school’s dining halls. Calling back the Boston Globe later that day, University Spokesman Jack Dunn informed the press that the event had been canceled due to “safety concerns.” Some residents of the Boston area have implicated Ayers as at least partially responsible for the killing of an Allston police officer during his days with Weather Underground.

Posted in Blog
By Michael Reer

March 28th, 2009

On the Importance of Newspapers

At a time when the relevancy of newspapers is increasingly being called into question, it’s important to remember what a strong press actually accomplishes, especially at the college level. Believe it or not, all of these “obsolete” newspapers still act as a powerful check on government, and student governments and college administrations would like nothing more than to be free of them.

Posted in Blog
By CJ Ciaramella

March 27th, 2009

“Liberal Arts”: A Whole New Meaning

Those of us soon to graduate are probably thinking more about job applications, polishing off the last of our senior theses, caps and gowns, or graduate school than we are about continuing to engage academia after we’ve moved the tassel and/or thrown our caps in the air. However, the battle with the liberal establishment doesn’t end after we leave college behind.

According to this article in Forbes Magazine, university governance is one of the most authoritarian areas of colleges today. Many times, such as at Harvard, these governing bodies are unelected and/or have little to no contact with either current students or alumni. And yet they make many of the decisions surrounding a college’s daily life. These bodies exist in something of a vacuum, able to make policies without feeling the effects themselves.

Those of us who care about the true spirit of a liberal arts education should make an effort to discover our college’s guidelines for how alumni can influence school policy. We need to demand that the university return to a broad base of liberal arts rather than simply warehousing students for four years and spitting them out job-trained, perhaps, but still unsure as to which country America fought in the Revolution. Because college is not about trying to find a job (although it is just about necessary to finding a job these days) or obtaining a set of skills. College is about expanding your mind and refining your worldview so that you can be a competent citizen. If we lose our ability to be competent citizens, we will surely lose our country as well.

Posted in Blog
By Christina Miller

March 22nd, 2009

Court Upholds Forced Association on Campus

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a California law school is not required to recognize religious groups that have closed or discriminatory membership requirements. In essence, this means that the college can defund any campus religious group that requires its members to follow a particular faith.

Posted in Blog
By CJ Ciaramella

March 19th, 2009

Did The Observer Call for Censorship?

A recent Observer editorial called for BC theology-related events to be reviewed by a panel of Jesuits in order to review their adherence to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The editorial suggested that if this panel found an event to be contrary to the views of the Catholic Church, it should send an accredited professor to define and explain the Catholic position before or after the event. This editorial has met with stiff resistance among the university’s professors, some going so far as to call the idea “censorship.”

Posted in Blog
By Michael Reer

March 18th, 2009

Tolerance and Respect on Display at Spokane Falls Community College

Yes, it’s my spring break. But campus controversies wait for no blogger.

Beth Sheeran, a student at Spokane Falls Community College and a member of their Christian Club, has filed suit against her school after they barred her organization from posting pro-life literature in a campus display case. Apparently, Sheeran’s message was discriminatory because it did not include a pro-choice viewpoint.

Posted in Blog
By Christina Miller

March 12th, 2009

No Free Speech for You! – Don Feder shouted down at UMass

To give you an idea of exactly how liberal the University of Massachusetts is, near the Amherst campus a UN flag flies in front of the town hall. The American flag is relegated to a corner in town center.

With that tidbit of information, you won’t be surprised to learn that Don Feder, a conservative writer and speaker, could not finish his speech at UMass due to liberal protests. Campus police refused to let the protestors in, but they still did their best to shut down the speech.

Posted in Blog
By Christina Miller