Posted on 06/06/2018 4:42:31 AM PDT by reaganaut1
If a university were to state that it will not hire people applying for a faculty position because of their race, sex, or religion, that would be clearly illegal. No school would dare to disregard applicants simply because “people of their kind” were not wanted.
But what about an applicant’s philosophy and political beliefs? Can schools discriminate on that basis? A case that arose years ago at the University of Iowa has finally ended with the apparent result that ideological discrimination is not illegal.
Back in 2006, Teresa Wagner (now Manning) was employed part-time at the University of Iowa College of Law as a legal writing instructor. She had formerly taught at George Mason University Law School and practiced law, so she thought she had a good chance at landing one of the full-time places for legal writing instructor that the law school had advertised.
But she was not hired, and at least one applicant who was hired had markedly inferior credentials, never having either practiced law or taught it. That would have been the end of things—if there hadn’t been evidence that faculty members had expressed vehement opposition to Manning because of her outspoken pro-life views.
She filed suit against the university and discovered internal documents to support her argument. Especially damning was a memo by associate dean Jon Carlson who wrote, “Frankly, one thing that worries me is that some people may be opposed to Teresa serving in any role in part, at least, because they so despise her politics (and especially, her activism about it).” (Case documents have been assembled here by the National Association of Scholars.)
That line, “they so despise her politics,” rings true. Leftist academics have often voiced their animosity toward those who disagree with them.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
The article isn’t clear, but it seems the jury did not find that the university declined to hire her because of her political views. In the face of that, I would have to agree that this doesn’t seem like a good case for the US Supreme Court. How can the SCOTUS rule on the constitutionality of something the jury found didn’t happen?
One approach to achieve political diversity, at least with “public” institutions, would be for the governor to be able to appoint the people who make the hiring decisions.
Of course they can, as long as it is the ‘correct’ ideology.
That State chartered schools cannot deny hiring based on the desire to suppress First Amendment rights seems obvious.
Unfortunately, it happens all the time. Happened to me, happened to lots of my colleagues.
Professors tend to be the most arrogant, ignorant, egotistical sons of perdition God ever made. Those of us who dissent from their blather are the usual targets.
And there’s very little we can do about it.
When the whole edufactured mess collapses because academics has whored after government lucre, I’ll rejoice. There will be a lot of radical, left-wing idiots in the breadlines. Heh, heh, heh...
To be added to (or dropped from) this occasional ping list, freepmail Albion Wilde.
As a former adjunct professor in the Business School of our university, I was quite surprised at how many socialists I encountered...in the BUSINESS SCHOOL.
Since Socialism/Communism is the Bi-Polar opposite of the Constitution and, by self-definition, a threat to our Constitutional Republic, universities should fire every leftist professor and only hire pro-American individuals.
I do realize this will never happen in my lifetime...or anyone’s lifetime.
Let me guess: not many evangelical Christians?
NO University—public or private—should discriminate on the basis of political ideology!!!!
After all, Universities are supposed to be about the pursuit of Veritas—Truth!!!
However, even Harvard, whose motto is Veritas, wallows in all sorts of left-wing, feminazi, LGBT, “diversity”, etc. ideological crap! And they send me samples of that crap in their e-mails, since I am an alumnus!!!!
And every University that I have worked at or with does exactly the same!!!!
This is an insult to all the current and former faculty and staff who have worked (with a great deal of success) very hard to raise the level these universities, specifically those with lesser reputations than Harvard. Now all that good work is severely threatened by all the ideological garbage. PHOOEY!!!!
Not many Orthodox Christians, either!!!!
Nary an LCMS...
Can they? They do it all the time. Should they? Not on my dollar.
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