>>Also, if Kenyon had been using his class to "teach" "bogus" theories,
>> I doubt that the faculty senate's Academic Freedom Committee, and
>> then the full faculty senate, would have voted overwhelmingly to
>> return Kenyon to the classroom.
Jim Foley responded:
<<As noted above, the AFC contained no scientists.>>
There are two rejoinders. First, the vote to reinstate came from the FULL
faculty senate, not just the AFC. Second, the idea that teaching professionals
cannot sift through the data and reach an informed decision without a
specialist on baord is patent nonsense. These people aren't stupid. If the
issue was as stark as Hafernik would have us believe, then the decision
wouldn't have been as one sided as it was.
Jim Foley quoted the AFC report, to wit:"there is a prior history of similar
complaints (from students) about teaching of evolution, but also about
'women's issues'i.e. abortion and reproductive rights."
And then Jim says, "The AFC report mentioned a prior
history of complaints about abortion. That's not hearsay."
Well, of course it IS hearsay. It is the very definition of hearsay. Who were
these students? How many of them were there? Do you know? Did they speak on
the record? Were they questioned? Did they give statements that they signed?
Please let me know the details about this. Otherwise, this is classic
hearsay--second hand accounts of what someone purportedly said.
Further, we know nothing from this small snippet just what these "complaints"
about "women's issues" were based on. Given the PC nature of the current
academy, one wonders how "bad" these "incidents" really were.
<<What more do you need? Hafernik's letter, and the quote in it from the
AFC, is as first-hand as you can get without talking to Kenyon or his
students.>>
We need more than the characterization of the guy who lost (i.e., was
repudiated by the faculty senate) and second hand reports of unidentified
students making unspecified "complaints."
If you're going to smear someone you ought to have more substantial
information than this. Maybe it exists, but what you posted is not it.
Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I thought you were quite unfair to Mr. Kenyon.
Jim