Patterico's Pontifications

5/11/2013

Another Reason I Am Proud to Donate to FIRE

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:45 pm



Great story — meaning an awful story until FIRE came to the rescue:

Via Instapundit.

57 Responses to “Another Reason I Am Proud to Donate to FIRE”

  1. The racist was the man who didn’t want white teachers. It also seems relevant that if you were the only white teachers at the school then logically your presence was beneficiaal since it created diversity and god knows we are always being told diversity is a good thing. I think you need a good lawyer and perhaps a couple million $ law suit against some of these people and institutions.

    GoneWithTheWind (f8c7ee)

  2. I strongly urge this guy to file a civil action against Syracuse for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and whatever else a smart attorney thinks might apply. Notwithstanding his eventual and grudging reinstatement, he suffered substantial actual damages and he should make those fools pay up.

    Kevin Stafford (1d1b9e)

  3. I’m conflicted

    it’s getting to where people dumb enough to pay/borrow money to go to America’s fascist universities kinda deserve what they get

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  4. But, as FIRE reports, the government is now attempting to force broad speech codes on colleges:

    In a letter sent yesterday to the University of Montana that explicitly states that it is intended as “a blueprint for colleges and universities throughout the country,” the Departments of Justice and Education have mandated a breathtakingly broad definition of sexual harassment that makes virtually every student in the United States a harasser while ignoring the First Amendment. The mandate applies to every college receiving federal funding—virtually every American institution of higher education nationwide, public or private.

    The letter states that “sexual harassment should be more broadly defined as ‘any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature'” including “verbal conduct” (that is, speech). It then explicitly states that allegedly harassing expression need not even be offensive to an “objectively reasonable person of the same gender in the same situation”—if the listener takes offense to sexually related speech for any reason, no matter how irrationally or unreasonably, the speaker may be punished.

    and it is actually worse than that. Read the whole thing.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  5. But you don’t get it. It wasn’t about race, it was about supporting “historically black colleges.” That’s racially neutral (to those that want to see it that way).

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  6. if historically black colleges want support they should sell candy bars at Ralph’s like everyone else

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  7. “In a letter sent yesterday to the University of Montana that explicitly states that it is intended as “a blueprint for colleges and universities throughout the country,” the Departments of Justice and Education have mandated a breathtakingly broad definition of sexual harassment…”

    I feel like nonlegislative rulemaking (of this sort of “Guidance” variety) is a huge threat to representative government. Between Chevron and Auer, there is a huge amount of judicial deference to supposedly “non-binding” rules – but I still have no idea what it means to “defer” to a non-binding rule. Doesn’t deference make it “binding” in every practical sense?

    I dunno. It bothers me a lot.

    Leviticus (17b7a5)

  8. How would you like to be the fundraiser from the Syracuse Alumni Association who has to call this dude and hit him up for a donation?

    JVW (7a1cbe)

  9. If it’s like my school, JVW, the solicitation is done by a freshman or sophomore student who can’t wait to hang up if you say “No” and doesn’t listen when you explain why.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  10. Leviticus – the proposed standards are even scarier.

    JD (397084)

  11. IMO the government’s sexual harassment mandate poses the most danger to male students. Further, if you couple this with the lower standard of proof in sexual assault claims on campuses (if they even have one) — something that will inevitably be extended to sexual harassment claims as well — then it can end an innocent student’s college career. In today’s world, that student will probably be a male.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  12. DRJ – do you have an earful for them ? 🙂

    JD (397084)

  13. Nerd angst. Ai yi yi.

    nk (875f57)

  14. BS, nk. This is not some generic angst.

    JD (397084)

  15. When I worked at Old Stat U., we would get chirpy emails to boost morale. Once we got one with slogans from all the head honcho folks about diversity. They each had one, like “diversity brings prosperity!” I felt like I was in Communist China! I kept my mouth shut, tho, didn’t want to be paraded around the campus with a dunce hat on.

    Patricia (be0117)

  16. What did I miss? This guy got his feelings hurt because he was underappreciated, called it racism, got reaction for it, got all hand-wavy helpless and sweaty, and FIRE took care of it within hours with a website and a “f*** you” attitude.

    nk (875f57)

  17. Can you imagine what would have happened if he’d said the truth that there are significant genetic differences between racial groups aside from cosmetic, including different brain sizes, different brain morphology, IQ differences, different hormone ratios, different limb-length : torso-length ratios, and resulting different behavioral, cultural, scientific-accomplishment, social-organizational (civilization), and athletic outcome distributions?

    My guess is that wouldn’t have gone over well.

    Former Conservative (6e026c)

  18. This I think is an example of the authoritarian state making so many regs that anyone can be made guilty of something if the people in charge, whoever that may be, don’t like you.
    It leads to logical contradictions in what can be enforced. The guidelines make it sound as if anything one says that is vaguely sexual in nature will get you in trouble if it is offensive to someone else.
    Ok, what happens if someone is singing out loud listening to their katy perry on the iPod about waking up and not knowing whose bed you’re in? Well, many people might find that offensive, but I doubt anyone would make an official issue out of it, and if they did, i find it hard to believe that someone will get kicked out of school for listening to katy perry. But what if someone speaks rudely about the katy perry song, “what kind of (pick your word) would you have to be to think that is fun”. If that statement is offensive it is because the person saying it is obviously intolerant.

    In the end the only thing that matters is who has enough power to exert their will over others.

    I heard that CA has some law in the works like in Mass, you get to use the bathroom and dressing room “of the gender that you identify with”, and if some female objects to a person with male organs coming out of the dress next to her, she has/is the problem, not the person with a penis and testicles in the girl’s shower room who prefers to wear dresses and lipstick.
    Nothing personal against a person who feels that way, I think he would need a lot of help not ostracism, but I think the girl who is a bit freaked out has reason to be.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  19. Tolerance has nothing to do with being tolerant

    highpockets (9e8454)

  20. Tolerance is wonderful, as is respecting and in many cases appreciating and welcoming diversity, in my opinion.

    But tolerance is not what most people do. What most people do is harp on tolerance while viciously attacking. And I can’t say this is just purely on the left.

    Former Conservative (6e026c)

  21. Most people want everyone to tolerate things they like.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  22. What did I miss? This guy got his feelings hurt because he was underappreciated, called it racism, got reaction for it, got all hand-wavy helpless and sweaty, and FIRE took care of it within hours with a website and a “f*** you” attitude.

    What did you miss?

    You missed the part where they were going to expel him.

    That’s what you missed.

    Sailed right over your head, in fact.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  23. WHOOSH!!!!

    Patterico (9c670f)

  24. SQUIRREL!!!!!

    JD (60eb27)

  25. He also missed the part where the university told him that if he didn’t want to be expelled, he had to waste a bunch of time on “diversity” and “anger management” seminars. And they threatened that if he went public with this than his future career in education would be ruined.

    Then, after he completed all those BS requirements, the university said “Nah, we’re still not going to let you back”. That’s when he finally went to FIRE.

    Justin (484da9)

  26. On the first day of Werenczak’s tutoring program at Danforth Middle School, he and another Syracuse student were introduced to their students by a member of the Concerned Citizens Action Program (CCAP). They happened to be the only two white people in the room. Shortly after the introduction, in the presence of Werenczak and the other white student teacher, the CCAP member, who is black, said that he thought that the city schools should hire more teachers from historically black colleges.

    “This [comment] offended me, as well as the other student teacher in the room,” says Werenczak in FIRE’s latest video. “It just seemed inappropriate considering that the two student teachers happened to be from Syracuse and a not a historically black college.”
    So Werenczak took to Facebook to write about the incident.

    “Just making sure we’re okay with racism,” wrote Werenczak. “It’s not enough I’m … tutoring in the worst school in the city, I suppose I oughta be black or stay in my own side of town.”

    “I was kind of trying to see if my friends or other peers, classmates would have a similar reaction to what I had,” says Werenczak about the reason for his posting the comment.
    The reaction Werenczak didn’t see coming was an expulsion from the School of Education for the Facebook comments, which the school described as “unprofessional, offensive, and insensitive.”

    The school told Werenczak he could avoid expulsion by voluntarily withdrawing, or he could fulfill several requirements, including mandatory “anger management” counseling, just to gain a chance of “re-admittance.”

    When Werenczak fulfilled the requirements and was still not readmitted to the school, he contacted FIRE for help.

    Just to be sure I had not forgotten what I had read before making my comment. Expulsion too harsh? Ok.

    nk (875f57)

  27. The school told Werenczak he could avoid expulsion by voluntarily withdrawing, or he could fulfill several requirements, including mandatory “anger management” counseling, just to gain a chance of “re-admittance.”

    Which turned out to be untrue

    JD (60eb27)

  28. I am the school. I have an education program. That program needs to be certified by whomever certifies such programs in order for the degrees I sell to be worth anything. One of the requirements of the degree is a stint as a student teacher. I need schools to take my students as student teachers. One of my students gets offended by a remark made by the person who essentially got him the student teaching job at the school. He goes on Facebook. He accuses that person of racism. He calls the school, a middle school, the worst school in the city. He wants people to know his grudge and react to it. I need that school representative and that school to take my education degree candidates as student teachers. I don’t especially need this one troublemaker. I’ll take into consideration that as a social science major his other career choice is McDonald’s Drive Thru so I won’t expel him outright, but seriously … I have every reason to want him gone and no reason to keep him.

    nk (875f57)

  29. Comment by nk (875f57) — 5/11/2013 @ 10:29 pm

    There are so many different things in your reasoning that I consider faulty, but take this as an illustrative one:

    He wants people to know his grudge and react to it. I need that school representative and that school to take my education degree candidates as student teachers. I don’t especially need this one troublemaker. I’ll take into consideration that as a social science major his other career choice is McDonald’s Drive Thru so I won’t expel him outright, but seriously … I have every reason to want him gone and no reason to keep him.

    He’s a post-grad social-science major. He’s not allowed to express his opinion on what is or isn’t a good school? You want him “gone”? You’ve no reason to keep him? Aside from him having paid his tuition and completed the requirements of his program?

    What kind of a corrupt educator is that? A student should be allowed to form and express an opinion, in a general sense, and especially on the general area they’re studying.

    Former Conservative (6e026c)

  30. A student should be allowed to form and express an opinion, in a general sense, and especially on the general area they’re studying.

    The sense of entitlement is strong in this one. Before you attack my reasoning, look up the definition of “general”, after you learn how to read.

    nk (875f57)

  31. JD, Comment 28,

    A second chance letter is seldom a definite promise of “welcome back, all is forgiven and forgotten”. “Just to gain a chance of re-admittance”, the way FIRE put it, sounds about right — the way they usually read.

    nk (875f57)

  32. I wonder if, in fact, the school in question truly is objectively one of the worst, would nk the great educator allow the student to give voice to that fact?

    If only there were a way to see how how well schools teach their student!

    http://www.greatschools.org/new-york/syracuse/3799-Danforth-Middle-School/#!/test-scores

    Nahh, facts just muddy the water. Nevermind that the minimum target is 90% at grade level, and this school can hardly muster double digits. Expel the racist honky!!!

    prowlerguy (912ed9)

  33. “The sense of entitlement is strong in this one.

    First Amendment?

    Tradition of free speech?

    Academic freedom?

    Contract (paid for his tuition, completed the requirements)?

    Why is an educator entitled not to award an earned degree to a student when he or she finds the student’s statements inconvenient?

    And why shouldn’t a student in social sciences give the opinion on the quality of schools they observe?

    Surely the student’s future employer’s can evaluate the wisdom of such publicly-made statements without the draconian step of expelling a student for expressing an opinion, even a wrong-headed one (assuming it was).

    Former Conservative (6e026c)

  34. prowlerguy – Well, 89% of the students at Danforth are black and they just don’t unnerstand no honky talk, so no point sending them no crackuh teachers no matter where theys from.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  35. nk thinks this student is a troublemaker for taking offense at the suggestion that his skin color was the wrong color.

    I disagree. I think there is a long tradition in this country of protesting against racism such as the student experienced. nk is free to argue that victims of racist comments should shut up and take it, but I don’t have to agree.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  36. there’s something definitely eyebrow-raising about the Uncle Bob’s suit/Bart Simpson hair combo but I don’t know how to articulate it

    maybe that’s what Mr. nk is keying off of

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  37. I don’t think there is much expectation, other than not to be resented for being white.
    The guy gets assigned to student teach in school “X”, he has little choice where he gets to go, he only wants to do a good job with the students he ends up with.
    Once he gets there, all excited, he hear’s this comment in front of everybody that seems to him like it means, “Too bad we have to put up with this white guy, instead of having a black teacher from a traditional black college”.
    He thinks, “Wow, didn’t expect that. I’m no hero, but I thought we privileged folks were supposed to help those not as well off. That’s what Michelle and Barack have told all of us young, impressionable college students themselves.
    Huh. Don’t they want me here?
    Am I over-reacting or crazy or is this a real concern or what?”
    All of that I think was perfectly reasonable to think and ask…
    but not on the web where your thoughts out loud are in black and white for everyone to see.
    The school very well had reason to discuss the situitation with him and let him know it was not wise in gaining friends and influencing people, but this alone is not “racism” in the sense of being prejudiced against blacks or anyone else. It is “racial” in subject matter because it is, but he didn’t start it, he was only reacting.

    He was surprised by being in the middle of a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario and was trying to make sense/cope with it. (You’re a presumably affluent and well off white kid, you should care about the poor and disadvantaged, especially minorities…oh, you’re a presumably affluent and well off white kid that claims to care about the poor and disadvantaged? So what, you’re still a presumably affluent and well off white kid that could be some where else if you wanted to be, so it doesn’t count”.)

    Racial yes, racist no.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  38. We don’t want your kind here.

    Syracuse should have known better when making student teaching assignments.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  39. I will not quibble with expulsion being too harsh a punishment. If that’s what I’m missing in this discussion, I concede the point. Expulsion would have been too harsh a punishment.

    I did not call the kid racist. Syracuse, according to FIRE, did not call the kid racist. It called his Facebook post “unprofessional, offensive, and insensitive”.

    It was the kid who played the racism card. And the victim card. And the condescending elitist (“worst school”) card. And the entitlement card. In a game where the stakes were higher than he expected them to be. Against professionals in playing those games. He expected only a slap on the wrist, in his own words.

    Should he have shut up and taken the racial slur implied in the CCAP member’s statement? Maybe …
    If you’re gonna play the game boy
    You’ve got to learn to play it right
    You’ve got to know when to hold them
    Know when to fold them
    Know when to walk away and when to run
    ?

    And with that, I’ll follow my own advice. 😉

    nk (875f57)

  40. “It was the kid who played the racism card. And the victim card. And the condescending elitist (“worst school”) card. And the entitlement card. In a game where the stakes were higher than he expected them to be. Against professionals in playing those games.”

    nk – Shame on him for hoping for or expecting a work place free of racism. Those kind of expectations are just a fantasy in this country and to talk about them publicly should bring down ostracism on his head.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  41. Spanish assassin (soon to be assassinee): Nothing personal, it’s just that I’m tired of dealing with peasants.
    Remo: Then you should have been court chamberlain, shmuck.
    Spanish assassin: Unfortunately, the job market was depressed at the time.

    Lot of wisdom in the early Destroyer series.

    nk (875f57)

  42. How come I can remember a time-waster paperback forty-two years later and not remember if I locked the door when I left the house this morning?

    nk (875f57)

  43. It’s not a “grudge,” it’s “being offended.” Isn’t that the whole basis of the offense industry?

    Patricia (be0117)

  44. “It’s not a “grudge,” it’s “being offended.” Isn’t that the whole basis of the offense industry?”

    Patricia – But it doesn’t work if you’re the wrong color. I think nk has a job waiting for him in Holder’s DOJ because he would fit right in with their philosophy of selective enforcement.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  45. Or selective defense, but I would probably like clemency review best. Nothing like having somebody’s life in your hands with another prosecutor already having done the hard work. 😉

    nk (875f57)

  46. It isn’t just that he shouldn’t be expelled, he shouldn’t have had to take any remedial classes either.

    If someone wanted to criticize his views, OK. However no official consequences for expressing an opinion! Not even if his opinion was prompted by his temerity in being discriminated against.

    Former Conservative (6e026c)

  47. we don’t want your kind here go get married somewheres else

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  48. This was a story worthy of a tweet, alas there is not tweet option. First time I’ve noticed it’s absence. Why?

    sybilll (106f03)

  49. We need more teachers from historically ghey colleges.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  50. that would be all of them

    except for maybe Texas A&M

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  51. howdy!

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  52. except maybe for Texas A&M

    I don’t know that I want teachers from colleges that teach “animal husbandry” either. http://www.baltimorenewsjournal.com/2013/05/07/harford-county-public-schools-employee-stephanie-mikles-indicted-on-bestiality-charges/ Not safe for kids.

    nk (875f57)

  53. five years ago she was little drunk and a lot lonely maybe

    or more likely her husband probably is a little pervy and wanted her to do it and he snapped a few pics

    either way Mr. nk this is NOT a lil country what values people’s freedom very highly

    or their dignity really

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  54. People don’t want freedom Mr. happyfeet. Freedom is cold and hard and lonely. Freedom is wearing animal skins and living on the ragged of starvation and having no one to blame but yourself. People want their daily bread, and their leader to tell them what they do is right, and somebody to die on a cross for their sins, and I better shut up.

    nk (875f57)

  55. amen Mr. nk

    happyfeet (8ce051)


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