Irven Resnick's posting on the legislation in Florida is blood-curdling. It
suggests that the current legislative frenzy to enact such bills is yet
another example of political opportunism at its worst. It suggests to me
that those who allegedly made the statements quoted in the posting wish to
replace "leftist totalitarianism" with their own brand of censorship and
oppression.

I agree with Jim Hiestand partly--to the extent that we as a faculty should
be warned and perhaps admonished by these events. Colleges and Universities
should all be allowed some time to police themselves on these matters, to
remind faculty of their handbook regulations and academic responsibilities.
There are no doubt SOME faculty SOMEWHERE who DO abuse their positions.
There are no doubt some faculty who hold a narrow view on particular
issues. There are some who have become embittered and curmudgeonly. And
some who mis-use classroom time to satisfy their own egos. We are, after
all, just people--look at politicians!! Televangelists!! Big business
CEOs!!! There are numerous instances of abuse of power there.

it would be much better for such admonishment to come from our own
governing bodies on our campuses, rather than from a legislature. When such
things become law, the doors to litigation could open more easily and more
frequently. Imagine being sued for exercising what you THOUGHT was academic
freedom. Imagine being sued for challenging a student to consider an
opposing viewpoint. Imagine being sued for not allowing students to use
Scripture of any faith tradition as evidence or as research IF such use is
not appropriate to the course or to the topic or the subject. Imagine being
sued for assigning a reading that is controversial and contains language
that a student finds offensive. Hopefully these are extreme concerns that
will never come to pass. I do not think this is a paranoid scenario to
consider it, though.

It is odd that a political party that wants to set limits on frivolous
lawsuits would enact a law that could actually lead to many more of them.
And who will stand by the professors in these lawsuits?

Now, one thing we as a university need to do better is to communicate to
students their recourse if they have grievances with a professor.
I looked at our current undergraduate catalog. It does not seem to offer
ANY guidance to students about filing a grade appeal or any kind of
grievance. It does not discuss course evaluations. I suggest that the
Faculty take some time to discuss this and recommend changes to the catalog
if deemed wise. This information SHOULD be made easily accessible, and
should, if it is not already, be a part of orientation meetings for new
students.

We might also post on the Website, in a readable format and in an easily
accessible place, those portions of the Faculty handbook that stipulate our
responsibilities as teachers. Better to be up front about what we say we
are here to do, than to let the general public pass rumors around.

Another odd thing--President Bush attended Yale university, right? Is that
considered a "conservative" leaning institution? Or "liberal"? How many of
our senators and congress-people benefited from the education they received
at these "bastions of liberalism"?

Jonathan B. McNair, DMA
UC Foundation Assistant Prof. of Music Theory and Composition
Cadek Dept. of Music
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga