How Universities Work

From the University of California (via AL Daily):

After a group of UC Davis women faculty began circulating a petition, UC regents rescinded an invitation to Larry Summers, the controversial former president of Harvard University, to speak at a board dinner Wednesday night in Sacramento. The dinner comes during the regents' meeting at UCD next week.

Summers gained notoriety for saying that innate differences between men and women could be a reason for under-representation of women in science, math and engineering.

“The regents' dinners have always been informal, social occasions,” said UC spokesman Trey Davis. “Chairman (Richard) Blum and Dr. Summers talked yesterday, and agreed that UC would locate a different speaker. Susan Kennedy, the governor's chief of staff, has this morning graciously agreed to speak at the dinner.”

Blum, chairman of the UC Board of Regents, was out of the country on business and unavailable for comment.

UCD professor Maureen Stanton, one of the petition organizers, was delighted by news of the change this morning, saying it's “a move in the right direction.”

“UC has an enormous historical commitment to diversity within its faculty ranks, but still has a long way to go before our faculty adequately represent the diversity of our constituency, the people of California,” said Stanton, professor and chairwoman of the section of evolution and ecology.

When Stanton heard about the initial invitation to Summers, she was “stunned.”

“I was appalled that someone articulating that point of view would be invited by the regents,” she said. “This is a symbolic invitation and a symbolic measure that I believe sends the wrong message about the University of California and its cultural principles.”

Indeed. The most important cultural principle that the University of California wishes to establish is, clearly, that truth is not something that you find out about the world, but is something you impose upon the world. First you decide what truth is, then you ensure that the facts conform. And one of the ways you go about achieving this is to prevent people with different views from articulating those views.

Stanton and other women on campus began circulating a petition Tuesday night by e-mail to colleagues at several campuses in the UC system. In two days, they had collected more than 150 signatures.

“None of us go looking for a fight,” Stanton said. “We were just deeply offended.”

Demanding censorship by claiming to be offended? Seems to be all the rage nowadays.

Comments

[Morgan]

Interesting to see that a UCD prof seems incapable of expressing herself in anything other than cliches. But I'm UCLA man myself.

[tolkein]

I'm waiting to see when the University of California reflects its California constituency and starts appointing Republicans, bikers, pro war supporters, military folk, the insane (no wait, that constituency is over filled) Christian fundamentalists in proportion to their share of the general California population. Certainly beats this old Western imperialist patriachal oppressive notion of a university as a place of academic learning.

[Noga]

"We are offended"!

These women embarrass me. So fragile are their ego and self-esteem that they are easily shattered by the merest allegation of some a-symmetry of talents and inclinations between the male and the female of species. This hysteria, if anything, only reinforces the old stereotypes about women's overriding helplessness and emotionality.

They have concocted a veritable gothic tale of terror, with its stock characters of the tyrant (poor Summers) and the helpless persecuted maidens.

[Dom]

"...reinforces the old stereotypes about women's overriding helplessness and emotionality."

Nancy Hopkins, a professor at MIT, had to leave when Summers was speaking because she felt faint from what she heard. Can you believe that? From a Professor. Like Aunt Pittypat.

[dearieme]

The only consolation is that Summers is said to be a real shit.