[C]onservatives cannot simply walk away from the academy.

DrMagnolias on November 27, 2009 at 3:10 PM

No indeed. But they can’t make much headway as a minority opposed by entrenched radicals for whom the result justifies the means.

We need fundamental, transformational change in our public education system. That’s where the battle is.

ultracon on November 27, 2009 at 9:40 AM

Unfortunately, although we can refuse to put credence in the opinions of liberal academics, young people do pay attention. After all, these people have more years of study, degrees, and therefore more assumed knowledge–and they are being paid for all of them. Young people should be able to count on the truth–it is outrageous that they have to be constantly on guard against bad thinking in college. This is why I’m constantly harping on the need to support true conservative intellectuals–as long as the misguided notions exist that everyone must go to college, conservatives cannot simply walk away from the academy.

The Reds never went away, they just went Green (and to Academia)

Its not your job, its your education. And extra curriculars are already on the list of criteria for many institutions. Granted, this could be used in ways that we may not like, but so far there is no indication of anything overtly nefarious.

ernesto on November 25, 2009 at 6:59 PM

They (extracurriculars) shouldn’t be. My kids’ high school had a web site (since taken down) which offered help on college admissions essays. The essential things to put into such an essay was one’s ethnicity if one were a member of a protected class, stories of how one overcame adversity (with many examples of adversity perpetrated upon the student by other students illustrated), stories of poorness.

The site indicated that, in the eyes of some admissions people, certain extra-curricular activities are worth far more than others — membership in La Raza being worth far more, for example, than membership in Key Club, even if the people of La Raza did not much more than belong to the club (and occasionally cause school lockdowns when they tussled with the BSU), while the Key Clubbers, a diverse group, tutored kids and planted trees, etc.

Extra-curricular activities do indeed communicate a code, and that code has nothing to do with your education, but everything to do with telling the college admissions processors that you deserve extra points for things totally unrelated to what you will bring to their college from a scholastic standpoint.

Thanks but no thanks. Seen it. Even experienced it personally. Again, no thanks. The SATs and your normalized GPA should be sufficient. [How I feel about AP stuff is a whole 'nuther comment.]

Told ya..

Just waiting for the new pelosi, obama and democrats
concentration camps to begin being built..

Dont laugh they are already FORCING ALL
americans with no education if
you dont BELIVE The RIGHT THINGS..

This is straight out of the book of Revelation..

Its comming folks ..

and the democrats and liberals will soon be jailing
all of YOU..

remedial training

This would hardly be constitutional at a private college — discriminating on the basis of political ideology.

That is interesting. What part of the Constitution deals with the political litmus test at private colleges?

My thought exactly. Is Hillsdale open to legal challenge then?

This would hardly be constitutional at a private college — discriminating on the basis of political ideology.

That is interesting. What part of the Constitution deals with the political litmus test at private colleges?

orange on November 25, 2009 at 10:40 PM

If the Left used language honestly, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. No matter what ideologically and morally bankrupt behavior or policy they are pushing, the Left consistently uses words and phrases that sound innocent or noble, because they believe what they are doing will then either go unnoticed or be difficult to oppose. “Do you mean you don’t believe in (social) justice?” “What’s this fuss about wanting teachers with a good disposition?” Anyone who opposes them is either an evil, hateful, something-phobe, or a paranoid rube who needs someone to snarkily provide a dictionary definition for him. Those tactics may work with some, but most people on this site refuse to be cowed by yet another version of “Shut up.”

WE DEMAND TOTAL CONFORMITY TO STATE-SANCTIONED IDEOLOGY.

Go ahead, orange, admit it: you’re not fooling anyone here. I suggest that you study history to further your goals. In the Soviet Union “culteral competence” demanded strict adherence to the Soviet political system and social order.

The Soviet elites imposed uniformity by suppressing Антисоветская агитация и пропаганда – counterrevolutionary agitation. Propaganda or agitation with the purpose of undermining Soviet ideology was a criminal offense, as was spreading “slanderous fabrications” critical of the Soviet political and social system. Literature with anti-Soviet content was forbidden. Punishments were grave.

Insist all you want to that the Minnesota plan is something different. Do I look like Mrs. Obama?

“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

I know, right? EAT ME.

Oh well, go ahead and waste your energy on this. Have a ball!

orange on November 25, 2009 at 10:40 PM

Eat me.

WE DEMAND CULTURAL INCOMPETENCE!

Seriously, what’s this fuss about wanting teachers with a good disposition? You’re trying to define “disposition” as “certain beliefs and values”. But that’s not the definition. For your edification:

dis⋅po⋅si⋅tion  /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/

–noun

1) the predominant or prevailing tendency of one’s spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude

People of all political stripes can have a good disposition. Or a bad one. Liberal misanthropes have to worry about this more than cheery conservatives. (though conservative misanthropes will have more to worry about than cheery liberals)

Oh well, go ahead and waste your energy on this. Have a ball!

Every time Hotair wants to post about another Frum or Brooks, or poll raining on my Palin gives me hope parade, do your site traffic/seriousness of purpose good and link a FIRE story instead. Ultimately, how fee speech is handled on college campuses has more impact on our nation and the conservative movement than what Beltway elites are pushing to preserve their pay-to-play infrastructure led by Newt.

FeFe on November 25, 2009 at 9:59 PM

To think all this time a hooka bowl only had tobacky in it.

It’s a sad day to see my Alma mater move

from “freedom of expression” to overt

thought control.

There is good stuff still coming out of the

U. Just not this, not now. We were a good

university and the ‘Big Ten’ had cheap

beer!

Back when (in the day)-
Tony Dungy was the team QB. Kevin McHail

was our starting roundball forward and

everybody knows about Herb Brooks.

And then there was me. LOL

So, all alumni need to phone C. Allen or whomever they can

reach on the Board of Regents… and pitch

a huge bitch. Withdraw your support (or

threaten to) on the spot.

I continue to be amazed at how well he had all this pegged.

That said, any community service requirement is too much. Your job should not depend on giving something for free to anyone. That’s part of religion/morality, and nobody should be tested on their religion.

unclesmrgol on November 25, 2009 at 6:51 PM

Its not your job, its your education. And extra curriculars are already on the list of criteria for many institutions. Granted, this could be used in ways that we may not like, but so far there is no indication of anything overtly nefarious.