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[Phys-L] FW: FL stamps out dictator professors



Please excuse the cross reposting. Here is an interesting issue. No=
w if
they voted to stamp out bad teaching we would all be in trouble. Of =
course
they do not consider that leftists could sue the rightist professors,=
or
what about the evolutionists suing the creationist professors.


FL Capitol bill aims to control 'leftist' profs
THE LAW COULD LET STUDENTS SUE FOR UNTOLERATED BELIEFS.

By JAMES VANLANDINGHAM
Alligator Staff Writer

TALLAHASSEE - Republicans on the Florida House Choice and Innovation
Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to pass a bill that aims to=
stamp
out "leftist totalitarianism" by "dictator professors" in the classro=
oms of
Florida's universities.=20

The Academic Freedom Bill of Rights, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Baxley,
R-Ocala, passed 8-to-2 despite strenuous objections from the only two
Democrats on the committee.

The bill has two more committees to pass before it can be considered =
by the
full House.=20

While promoting the bill Tuesday, Baxley said a university education =
should
be more than "one biased view by the professor, who as a dictator con=
trols
the classroom," as part of "a misuse of their platform to indoctrinat=
e the
next generation with their own views."=20

The bill sets a statewide standard that students cannot be punished f=
or
professing beliefs with which their professors disagree. Professors w=
ould
also be advised to teach alternative "serious academic theories" that=
may
disagree with their personal views.=20

According to a legislative staff analysis of the bill, the law would =
give
students who think their beliefs are not being respected legal standi=
ng to
sue professors and universities.=20

Students who believe their professor is singling them out for "public
ridicule" - for instance, when professors use the Socratic method to =
force
students to explain their theories in class - would also be given the=
right
to sue.=20

"Some professors say, 'Evolution is a fact. I don't want to hear abou=
t
Intelligent Design (a creationist theory), and if you don't like it, =
there's
the door,'" Baxley said, citing one example when he thought a student=
should
sue.=20

Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, warned of lawsuits from students enro=
lled in
Holocaust history courses who believe the Holocaust never happened.=
=20

Similar suits could be filed by students who don't believe astronauts=
landed
on the moon, who believe teaching birth control is a sin or even by S=
hands
medical students who refuse to perform blood transfusions and believe=
prayer
is the only way to heal the body, Gelber added.=20

"This is a horrible step," he said. "Universities will have to hire l=
awyers
so our curricula can be decided by judges in courtrooms. Professors m=
ight
have to pay court costs - even if they win - from their own pockets. =
This is
not an innocent piece of legislation."

The staff analysis also warned the bill may shift responsibility for
determining whether a student's freedom has been infringed from the f=
aculty
to the courts.=20

But Baxley brushed off Gelber's concerns. "Freedom is a dangerous thi=
ng, and
you might be exposed to things you don't want to hear," he said. "Bei=
ng a
businessman, I found out you can be sued for anything. Besides, if st=
udents
are being persecuted and ridiculed for their beliefs, I think they sh=
ould be
given standing to sue."

During the committee hearing, Baxley cast opposition to his bill as
"leftists" struggling against "mainstream society."

"The critics ridicule me for daring to stand up for students and facu=
lty,"
he said, adding that he was called a McCarthyist.=20

Baxley later said he had a list of students who were discriminated ag=
ainst
by professors, but refused to reveal names because he felt they would=
be
persecuted.

Rep. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, argued universities and the state Bo=
ard of
Governors already have policies in place to protect academic freedom.
Moreover, a state law outlining how professors are supposed to teach =
would
encroach on the board's authority to manage state schools.

"The big hand of state government is going into the universities tell=
ing
them how to teach," she said. "This bill is the antithesis of academi=
c
freedom."=20

But Baxley compared the state's universities to children, saying the
legislature should not give them money without providing "guidance" t=
o their
behavior.

"Professors are accountable for what they say or do," he said. "They'=
re
accountable to the rest of us in society . All of a sudden the facult=
y think
they can do what they want and shut us out. Why is it so unheard of t=
o say
the professor shouldn't be a dictator and control that room as their
totalitarian niche?"

In an interview before the meeting, Baxley said "arrogant, elitist ac=
ademics
are swarming" to oppose the bill, and media reports misrepresented hi=
s
intentions.=20

"I expect to be out there on my own pretty far," he said. "I don't ex=
pect to
be part of a team."

Florida House Bill H-837 can be viewed online at www.flsenate.gov.

John R. Staver, Ed.D.
Center for Science Education
254 Bluemont Hall
1100 Mid-Campus Drive
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-5313
Phone: 785-532-6294
Fax: 785-532-7304
E-Mail: staver@ksu.edu
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