Posted on 03/04/2006 11:56:54 AM PST by mathprof
"Defend yourself." That's the lesson Harvey Mansfield drew for Larry Summers the week before Harvard's president was forced to resign. Mr. Mansfield, a 73-year-old government professor and conservative elder statesman of the university, went on to suggest that Mr. Summers's capitulation to those he offended (when he said women might be biologically less inclined to succeed in the hard sciences) is not simply a craven kowtow to political correctness, but proof, also, of a character flaw. Indeed, Mr. Mansfield continued with a mischievous smile, "He has apologized so much that he looks unmanly."
Perhaps this seems like a quaint insult, but Mr. Mansfield means something very particular by it. He would like to return the notion of manliness to the modern lexicon. His new book, "Manliness" (manfully, no subtitle), argues that the gender-neutral society created by modern feminists has been bad both for women and men, and that it is time for men to rediscover, and women to appreciate, the virtue of manliness...
But it is his combat with campus liberal orthodoxy that has brought him a more public profile. To drive home his crusade against grade inflation, he began giving students a real grade (what he actually thinks of their work) and an "ironic grade" (which goes to the registrar). More controversially, Mr. Mansfield argues that grade inflation is the result of the university's affirmative-action program--admitting too many underqualified minority students and then not wanting to give them poor marks.
Of all the enemies Mr. Mansfield has made, none has he more consistently provoked than feminists. It's been 20 years since he voted against the proposal for a women's studies major at Harvard (the only faculty member to do so), arguing that "it is not possible to study women except in relation to men." He hasn't let up since.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
What about post-tenure review? Do you have that? This is, I think, our second year of post-tenure review, and I am interested in what will happen to very weak professors. We know who they are: how they ignore kids, teach poorly, sign up for committees with no intention of attending meetings, do no research, etc., etc.
I fear the union has agreed to this soley so that they can demand more money. There is a provision for raises if the materials meet certain levels, and we all know how unions love to sue if the administration disagrees with the union stance. (As an aside, I think union leaders can be some of the most short-sighted, childish people imaginable....but that's another thread...)
Re hiring committees: I have been on many, probably because I do the work well. I like to see good people hired, regardless of politics. I expect many of them were liberals, but more moderate and certainly not ideologues. They have also proven to be good teachers and they do listen to my alternative ideas.
Having tenure and my final promotion as full professor helped to give me the power to speak out on FR.
I have to quibble with the definition of manliness: "confidence in a risky situation." I think women can show this too. But I have no problem with men and women being "defined" in ways that emphasize their inherent differences. As a woman, even a strong woman, I do see incredible sexism out there. I think the feminists try to be as strong as men, but what they also need to do is to value what women do very well: nurture their families, whether full-time or part-time. Feminists tend to dismiss traditional homemakers to their detriment. Young women nowadays thrive on their choices. My generation was told that careers were the only valid choice, with the result that some waited too long to have families and feel cheated.
Enough ranting for now.
I certainly don't disagree with you. I would also suggest that, at least among my more radical colleagues, they have a feeling of superiority and they enjoy it. If they are working to "save" people that means they are capable of doing what the average person is not--or so they believe.
Like you, prices are subject to change. But: the US is so obviously functional and has worked for so many, that I have never understood the almost furious hatred so many in academe have toward the US.
McVey
Don't hold your breath.
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