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[Phys-L] Re: Warning: Don't ask for Library loans on Political Topics



Here is the excerpt from the Boston Globe article:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/12/24/students_tal
l_tale_revealed/
---------------------------------
But yesterday, the student confessed that he had made it up after being
confronted by the professor who had repeated the story to a Standard-Times
reporter.

The professor, Brian Glyn Williams, said he went to his former student's
house and asked about inconsistencies in his story. The 22-year-old student
admitted it was a hoax, Williams said.

''I made it up," the professor recalled him saying. ''I'm sorry. . . . I'm
so relieved that it's over."

The student was not identified in any reports. The Globe interviewed him
Thursday but decided not to write a story about his assertion, because of
doubts about its veracity. The student could not be reached yesterday.

Williams said the student gave no explanation. But Williams, who praised the
student as hard-working and likeable, said he was shaken by the deception.
I feel as if I was lied to, and I have no idea why," said Williams, an
associate professor of Islamic history. He said the possibility the
government was scrutinizing books borrowed by his students ''disturbed me
tremendously."
...............................
The university issued a statement Monday defending academic freedom, but
said it had had no visits from Homeland Security agents and no record of any
student seeking the Mao book through an interlibrary loan.

The student later told the professors he had requested the book at
UMass-Amherst. But officials there said UMass-Dartmouth students cannot use
their ID cards at the Amherst library and that all interlibrary requests are
made by the libraries, not students.

---------------------------------------------------

This sounds like the dog ate my homework story. Did the student turn in the
report? I suspect this story was concocted because the student did not do
his work. Remember he reported that he couldn't get the book. The story
was possibly not intended as a liberal slur, bur rather a story intended to
convince the prof. that the student should not be penalized for less than a
sterling report. Unfortunately the student did not think that the prof.
would report it to the newspaper. So neither liberal nor conservative
conspirists can take comfort. Journalists can be take in! Surprise,
surprise!!!

So many of us were taken in!!!! But, my story about the Sikh family being
visited is true, as we know the people involved. My point about the
security people not knowing things is well illustrated by this. The Sikhs
are a group whose religion rejects both Islam and Hiduism. They also were
loyal soldiers in the Queen's army.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX
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