The DI tells Global Campus to DIE?

Nothing could have prepared us for last week's editorial in the DI. Amidst the usual nonsensical, hate-filled screed of Paul Cruise, the DI launched a blistering critique of the Global Campus 2.0 (at least the zero seems appropriate). After taking a moment to purvey some of the statements of this article, it becomes twice as incredulous that the DI wrote this. For example:

"...the program has fallen flat on its face."

"Even President White said, 'What we ought to do is reset the approach we were taking and learn from the last couple of years what has worked. And let’s go with what has worked and eliminate what hasn’t.'
'Go with what has worked and eliminate what hasn’t'? What hasn’t worked has been the entire program. It’s time to face the truth"

"And what we pick and what we choose should be for the best of our University as a whole, and that
would not be Global Campus."

The DI, as we have posted previously, had been ardent shills of the skunk White and his machinations for quite a while. Indeed, the DI had advertising links to the office of GC until their new format. Also, White's less-than-honest manner in the killing of Chief Illiniwek gained him unconditional TASSer loyalty from the DI.

For other reasons as well, this long-overdue development is not nearly enough to reverse the DI sycophants' standings as TASSers. The revelation about DeBrock came several weeks too late after the News Gazette's, and naturally makes no mention of his shady past. It does mention Ghosh in the past tense, but nothing surrounding his quest to take care of the "too many jar heads" nor his suspicious departure.

Posted by Hound No. 9

Charting a Course

Over at Critical Mass, Erin O'Conner has a great post on charter schools in response to a column by David Brooks. We will not post much on that here, as one can read it easily enough at the linked site.

CM makes an amazing statement after the Brooks quotes while listing
the numerous faults of the present education setup:

"School choice and high standards work. We should stop arguing about it, and start doing it. It's the most decadent, arrogant form of waste to argue against it--it steals kids' futures for the sake of adults' partisan politics in the present.

FWIW: The year I spent teaching at a boarding school was a sharp and clear lesson in what kids respond to and what doesn't work for them. The school was hobbled by a rigid adherence to certain progressive practices and beliefs -- as in, no grades (just supportive report letters); no emphasis on basics such as spelling and grammar (because that might turn kids off); no tracking of any kind (because egalitarian mediocrity that served no one was preferable to the comparisons kids might draw if some were allowed to excel).

The most striking point in the quote describes the "egalitarian mediocrity" which permeates like some virulent miasma within our primary education system. Aye, several of us remember in our Obedience School where dogs could not learn new tricks-it would be unfair to those who were sub par.

In other noteworthy events, Chapin Rose had grilled skunk for breakfast last week during a question and answer session with skunk White. White is trying to cast aside criticism of his new (but hardly improved) version of the Global Campus 2.0. Panelists for coming up with a way to sidestep scrutiny of the failed program have made comments including by the co-chair "The proposed initiative would never run at a deficit." (not true unless the UI considers an excess of $3 million does not qualify as a deficit) to "We owe Global Campus a debt" (sort of true-as far as emphasis on "debt"). Watching White squirm under the examination makes us wonder whether in future if he will adopt the Glen Poshard method of alleviating scrutiny and criticism, as he has already once attempted to make himself arbiter of IL law in a move that only Palpatine could approve of, by undertaking ethics policy that should be left to lawmakers.

Posted by Alpha Hound

In today's News-Gazette the IEA is growling once again, and Pat Quinn is de-clawed and in a corner with his tail between his legs on his pension plan that would include cutting down pension amounts for new state workers. Naturally, any plan that puts the well-being of the public before the well-being of the teacher unions has made their hair stand up.

As has been previously posted on this dog blog, the unions were more than happy to put us all in the current mess by contributing unmatched quantities to the Blago boys club. This is particularly ironic when Ed Geppart rhetorically asked the crowd if Quinn was "an improvement?" (This was the same man that Blago personally appointed to the IL Board of Education in 2005).


With thousands of dollars to spare for indicted felons, why do the IFT and IEA insist that we must pay the penalty (and the bill)?

In other union-sponsored teacher statutory rape news, the L.A. Times reports that in addition to wasting away taxpayer-squeezed legal monies, the unions are paying teachers to sit on all fours and do nothing while waiting for misconduct trials and hearings to be resolved.

Posted by Hound No. 4

The Salukis are Suing

The new and "improved" sexual harassment policy at Southern Illinois-Carbondale is being put to the test as a student is suing the Board of Trustees for terminating him after reporting sexual harassment. This represents a new low for the Goldman-Poshard regime, considering its already questionable dedication to due process concerning sexual harassment complaints against two other faculty members. This, in addition to a sexual harassment policy vile enough to bring attention to FIRE, adds on to a sad chapter in SIUC dedication to destroying the rights from First-Amendment on of its faculty and student body. Based upon the current fight the college is entrenched in with faculty unions, the best interpretation seems to point to a scared administration that decided, rather than risk further faculty outrage, to make a sacrifice out of Mr. Milligan.

Nothing new it seems, since another faculty member at the University of Utah was axed ostensibly for "contributing to a hostile environment for female faculty." This professor is also suing. Weak reasoning for the supposed misogyny aside (and female support for the prof in question), one has to wonder, since Prof. Lenowitz teaches Hebrew languages, if there was an ulterior reason for his removal from a middle-east department.

Nor is violating rights at Carbondale a surprise given the rise of fascist policy now in effect there. Case in point-Poshard and Haller seem fit to make it a crime to report plagiarism, especially one as sacrosanct as the university president, against whom could lead to administrative-sanctioned retaliation.

The rest of the country must by now surely view ILLinios as some kind of laughingstock.

Posted by Hound No. 3

When No. 8 posted that I immediately thought about last year when the UIUC faculty railroaded the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government. When I found the story, lo and behold, Anne Neal beat us to it already.

As I recall (perhaps others have better recollections) that one of the driving forces behind its demise was professtocracy blowhard James Barrett.

The comments on the page are worth noting. Notice how all the negative responses are coming from those affiliated with universities, while those supportive are tax payers, parents, and others. Funny how the educationalists think that Horowitz is the one out of touch with the mainstream public.

Posted by Hound No. 3

Funny Money

Due respect to learned colleagues here, who have a far superior pedigree than myself, I wished to point out with respect to some prior posts about endowments and alumni gifts this recent post at the ACTA.

It seems that people are protesting more than the price of tea.

Posted by Hound No. 8

More on Flu caused by Swine

The progenitor of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Hoax spoke at UNC last week to a crowd quotes the Tar Heel of 70 (with Baker at Vanderbuilt and Kim Curtis gone too, that leaves another sixteen unaccounted for). The article states that Crystal Mangum was "given a chance Wednesday to discuss the issues surrounding her accusation."

Oddly enough, the article later stated "...the two refused to speak on the specifics of the case..."

Not that there was to be any discussion in the first place, mind you, since in an earlier release, the DTH stated that all the questions would be screened before hand.

These questions Mangum left before hand and did not answer, according to a previous appointment. Quite a different tale from those who attended who said that she had the flu.

Indeed it is a tough coin toss call as to whether the DTH or Mangum is less credible.

Still its seems that it is the season for the flu and swine to go hand in hand.

Posted by Hound No. 2

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Date: 4/27/09
Time: 9:57 PM Central Standard Time
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Update completed User AlphaHound