October 30, 2007
FIRE Press Release
NEWARK, Del., October 30, 2007—The University of Delaware subjects students in its residence halls to a shocking program of ideological reeducation that is referred to in the university’s own materials as a “treatment” for students’ incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The Orwellian program requires the approximately 7,000 students in Delaware’s residence halls to adopt highly specific university-approved views on issues ranging from politics to race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is calling for the total dismantling of the program, which is a flagrant violation of students’ rights to freedom of conscience and freedom from compelled speech.

Full release: http://s3.amazonaws.com/thefirecache/8555.html

__________________
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

There's an easy solution ... don't let your kids go to college.

It's been pretty well documented that people become more liberal the more education they have.

... but I checked it out.
I sent an email to the president of Univ of DE, and they responded, unsurprisingly that it was bullshit:

October 31, 2007

Dear XXXXXX,
Thank you for your letter to President Patrick Harker dated October 29, 2007 detailing your concerns about the University of Delaware’s residence life educational program. I appreciate your commitment to the role of free speech in education. Though we may articulate views quite differently, a commitment to free speech is one we share. As noted in our own literature, “the central mission of the University of Delaware is to cultivate both learning and the free exchange of ideas.”
Your letter asserts a number of conclusions that can be supported by a selective citation of documents, but are not actualized. The idea that students are “required to adopt university approved views” on the issues listed is not a goal of this institution or of the residence life department. This type of goal is both highly undesired and wholly unattainable. Students are challenged to express themselves as free-thinking citizens. The indoctrination you speak of serves no educational purpose and does not exist as part of a systematic effort on this campus. I assume that you have noted the absence of any policy, rule, or regulation pertaining to your concerns about disciplinary action being taken against students for unwillingness to be changed in the manner that you describe.
There is in fact a program within the residence halls that engages students in self –examination of the roles they hope to take in society. This effort is consistent with the mission of the University which states, “Our graduates should know how to reason critically and independently…communicate clearly in writing and speech, and develop into informed citizens and leaders.” The program is designed to encourage students to think about and to consider a number of issues, but all make their own decisions about the outcome of this reflection. FIRE’s assertion that students are told what to think is inaccurate. In common with FIRE, our institution values free speech, active voice, and open dialogue. We believe that students learn and grow in part by engaging in significant discussions on both sides of the classroom door.
I do acknowledge that there have been some missteps with the implementation of our program. This is a new effort involving over two hundred staff. As with any University educational endeavor assessment and feedback measures have been established to identify issues or concerns. Each of the issues FIRE presents are currently under review. In fact, we recently became aware that students in several residence halls were told their participation is mandatory at these activities and we have taken steps to clarify this misconception and to notify students of their rights in this area.
Additionally, I would like to briefly comment on several of the other concerns expressed in your letter.

• The information about "best and worst" RA/resident one-on-ones are certainly of concern, but taken out of context. This terminology has only been used by supervisors to ask Resident Assistants to reflect on their facilitation skills and never to describe students or the outcome of a conversation.

• Students are not required to participate in any residential activity, educational program, or to maintain the University provided nametag on their door. We do, however, encourage students to participate in as many experiences as they are able as we believe this enhances their life at the University.

• We share your concern about the language used in our assessment plan. The term “treatment” is commonly used in research and assessment literature. Admittedly, this language is easily misinterpreted and may be construed as inappropriate for use in this educational setting. On the other hand, your assertion that “progress is apparently determined by examining whether there is an increasing proportion of ‘right’ answers over time” is not an accurate way to describe the aim of the program or assessment goals.

I have tremendous respect for the ability of our students as well as their emotional and intellectual capacity. My main point of contention out of the multiple assertions is that the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education seems to presume that our students are so empty-headed and ignorant that they would be "indoctrinated" with ease. I believe you have underestimated the quality and caliber of our students. You have examined many internal and public documents in your search for concerns. I invite you to explore our web site more fully to get a better picture of the capacity of a University of Delaware student. You will find that they are highly intelligent and capable to assert their viewpoints and to face challenges from a variety of areas. Our students are fully able to encounter multiple values and perspectives and remain true to their own identity. As they emerge from college, their ability to use their free speech rights will be only one of many talents they possess. While I consider many of your points to be open for legitimate discussion and debate, the supposition that University of Delaware students are simply empty vessels to be filled by any willing authority figure is an unstated assertion where we can find no common ground.
As I hope I have expressed through this letter, I am aware that issues and concerns exist as we ask students to discuss and share their own viewpoints on important issues. I do appreciate your organization’s interest in higher education in general and free speech specifically. Your points will continue to be examined as a part of the overall review mechanism.
Sincerely,
Michael Gilbert, Ed. D.
Vice President for Student Life
University of Delaware

If you look at the U of DE materials that FIRE themselves refer to, they don't look too unreasonable, certainly not the liberal indoctrination FIRE proports them to be:

http://thefire.org/pdfs/8c131cbacb46...928bfc2def.pdf
http://thefire.org/pdfs/a58fdfd91079...281977847d.pdf
http://thefire.org/pdfs/feac86e1f4c3...92c716f498.pdf

You mean someone posted false information on the Internet? To further an ideological agenda?

Color me shocked.

“Our graduates should know how to reason critically and independently…communicate clearly in writing and speech, and develop into informed citizens and leaders.”

Well...it's pretty clear their goals are definitely skewed against educating them to be right wing conservatives. Tannhauser may have a point. It's clearly liberal indoctrination.

__________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. -George Carlin

University of Delaware Requires Students to Undergo Ideological Reeducation

Does this posting indicate Mr.Tannhauser is getting concerned about the government/educational/corporate complex's desire to take away our liberties and reprogram us?...if so, then, bravo!...when I went to high school, George Orwell was REQUIRED reading...now, the required reading might be 'It Takes A Village' by Hillary Clinton, or for those who are 'reading-challenged', watching the video 'An Inconvenient Truth' by the Nobel-Prize winning scholar Al Gore...or maybe 'Looting America : How the Neo-Cons & Me Suckered the Chumps!' by George W.Bush.

Knowledge does tend to have a liberal bias.

While I agree with the notion of more education = more liberal outlook, how does one account for decidedly conservative campuses such as Univ of Chicago, and Texas A&M University?

__________________


Is it ghey that I love this song so much?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl_Wc6Nm8lc

I guess you could say I'm not as jaded about "stuff" such as enduring love yet...

Uhm... QV? Where did you draw the conclusion that anything I posted was false? Where did you draw the conclusion that anything FIRE posted was false?
This kind of "understanding" can only come about by a master's program.

Sputnik,
You didn't read the materials very closely, didja?
A RACIST: A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremiacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture, or sexuality. By this definition people of color cannot be racists, because as peoples within the U.S. system, they do not have the power to back up their prejudices, hostilities or acts of discrimination. (This does not deny the existence of such prejudices, hostilites, acts or rage or discrimination) PAGE 3
REVERSE RACISM: A term created and used by white people to deny their white privilege. Those in denial use the term reverse racism to refer to hostile behavior by people of color toward whites, and to affirmative action policies, which allegedly give 'preferential treatment' to people of color over whites. In the U.S., there is no such thing as 'reverse racism.' - PAGE 3
But don't rely on FIRE, check out the University's own website:
http://www.udel.edu/reslife/students/wholenewworld.htm
Confessions of Donna
Culture of White Supremacy
Detour Spotting for White Anti Racists
Peggy McIntosh
White Racial Identity (that's the one that says "White Culture is a deadly brew".)
But lastly, if it's really so innocuous, why didn't the U President stand up for this program?
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/n...ter110107.html
While I believe that recent press accounts misrepresent the purpose of the residential life program at the University of Delaware, there are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled. It is not feasible to evaluate these issues without a full and broad-based review.
Upon the recommendation of Vice President for Student Life Michael Gilbert and Director of Residence Life Kathleen Kerr, I have directed that the program be stopped immediately. No further activities under the current framework will be conducted.
So is your e mail buddy Mike Gilbert "full of B.S." or just spineless? Sounds like his boss thinks he's full of B.S.

__________________
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

Yeah, I read some of those materials on U Del's website, and I was quite thoroughly appalled. And I consider myself to be well left of center. I've heard that even the liberal civil rights groups aren't happy about this disturbing brainwashing program.

I was particularly disturbed by the -- dare I say, whitewashing? -- of reverse racism. They deny that such a thing is possible, redefining racism to mean, more or less, "being white." Or more precisely, they say that racism isn't possible if you don't have power. Yet every bit of material I saw was nothing but an expression of white hatred: whites are evil, they control the world and do everything to maintain their power, etc., etc., etc. What exactly is this supposed to accomplish? How exactly is this supposed to improve race relations?

__________________
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." -- Robert Wilensky, 1996