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Still recovering from two major computer meltdowns over the weekend, but we’ll be back up and running soon. Stay tuned…
This spring, the city Providence, Rhode Island announced plans to impose a $150 per semester tax on students attending the city’s colleges and universities, and now the city of Pittsburgh is moving in the same direction.
The Providence student tax is still working its way through the Rhode Island state legislature, along with a companion law that would allow the city to impose some direct taxes on private universities.
That companion bill reveals the motvation behind these new laws — to go after students if you can’t reach the universities themselves. Major private universities have enormous power, and they benefit from huge tax breaks. Taking them on directly is tricky, and carries potential bad consequences, so Providence and Pittsburgh are hoping students present a softer target.
October 14 update: See the comments to this post for a more detailed discussion of the pros and cons of the student tax.
FIRE — the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education — is on the right side of the issues a fair chunk of the time. Their (right-wing) politics aren’t mine, by any stretch, but when they’re beating the drums for freedom of expression and due process on campus, they’re doing important work.
I just wish they could do that important work better.
Here’s the latest example. Back in early August, Professor Thomas Thibeault of East Georgia College was called to the office of EGC president John Bryant Black. By Thibeault’s account, Black demanded that he resign from the college that morning, and threatened to make public Thibeault’s “long history of sexual harassment” if he did not.
Thibeault refused to resign and was escorted from the campus, under threat of arrest if he ever returned. In the two months since, Thibeault says, he has not been given a hearing, been permitted to defend himself against the sexual harassment charges, or even been told what exactly he’s being charged with, despite the fact that Black convened a faculty committee to investigate him.
This is seriously screwed up. If Thibeault’s version of events is true (and neither Black nor EGC have publicly disputed it), the EGC administration has behaved shamefully — attempting to bully him into resigning with vague and ominous threats, then refusing to allow him a timely opportunity to be informed of, and respond to, the charges that have led to his removal from the classroom. Bravo to FIRE for shining a light on this situation.
…And that’s where I stop praising them. Here’s why.
Two days before Thibeault was brought into Black’s office, he attended a faculty training session on sexual harassment, where he made some remarks from the floor. In FIRE’s gloss, “he presented a scenario regarding a different professor and asked, ‘what provision is there in the Sexual Harassment policy to protect the accused against complaints which are malicious or, in this case, ridiculous?’ ”
FIRE sees this as “Kafkaesque irony,” saying that “Thibeault made the mistake of pointing out — at a sexual harassment training seminar — that the school’s sexual harassment policy contained no protection for the falsely accused.” But Thibeault’s own account of his remarks makes it clear that FIRE’s summary of his comments is woefully inadequate.
Here’s how Thibeault himself describes the “scenario” he presented at the sexual harassment training:
Last week two students were talking to me in the hallway after class. One student said that she didn’t want to go to a professor’s office because he looked down her cleavage. The woman was wearing clothing that was specifically designed to draw attention to her cleavage. She even sported a tattoo on her chest, but I didn’t get close enough to read it. The cleavage was also decorated in some sort of sparkly material, glitter or dried barbecue sauce. I couldn’t tell. I told the student that she shouldn’t complain, if she drew such attention to herself. The other female student then said, and I hope you’re not offended by her actual words, ‘if you don’t want anyone looking at your titties, I’ll lend you a T-shirt. I have one in the truck.’ The first student then said, ‘No. I’m proud of the way I look.’ I left the conversation at that point.
Let’s break this down, shall we?
- A female student told Thibeault that another professor’s habit of staring at her breasts made her uncomfortable.
- Thibeault told her, in front of another student, that she had no right to complain because she was dressed provocatively.
- A week later, Thibeault recounted this story to a large group of faculty members at a public meeting, complete with identifying details of, and gratuitously offensive comments about, the student’s appearance.
- To top it all off, he presented the student’s complaint about the other professor as an example of a “ridiculous” sexual harassment charge.
According to the EGC faculty handbook, by the way, “conduct of a sexual nature” that “has the purpose or effect of … creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive academic environment” is sexual harassment.
FIRE has all this background. But they chose not to mention it.
And this is why I find FIRE so frustrating. It’s not “Kafkaesque irony” that Thibeault was hauled in to the president’s office on a sexual harassment complaint two days after the training. It’s not ironic at all. It’s not even surprising. By Thibeault’s own account, he made wildly inappropriate sexualized comments to a female student, told that student that it was her own fault if a professor leered at her while she was wearing a low-cut top, and then shared this anecdote at a faculty meeting in a bizarrely insulting way. (Barbecue sauce? Come on.)
I don’t know whether any of this is actionable as sexual harassment. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know what Thibeault’s history is, or whether the university’s claims that he has a “long history” of misbehavior have any merit at all. As I said at the top of this post, I’m inclined to believe that Thibeault has been treated unfairly, and that EGC has violated his right to academic due process.
But this whole incident serves as yet another reminder to me that when I see a piece on FIRE’s site, I can’t just take their analysis and run with it. I can’t even assume that they’re presenting the basic outline of the story in a fair and complete way. I have to research and fact-check the whole thing from the beginning. And because they break so much news — because they are out there digging these cases up — I have to ignore their stuff if I can’t find independent corroboration of their claims.
Because they just can’t be trusted to tell a story straight.
And that sucks.
Note: As I indicated above by linking to Thibeault’s statement at FIRE’s website, and again by saying that “FIRE has all this background,” FIRE did post that statement as a PDF document, and link to it from other documents. I never intended to suggest otherwise, and I’m happy to make that clear.
Here are the last week’s @studentactivism Twitter highlights. (The week before last’s, which I posted last night, are here.)
RT @dlcox1958: Fun Facts: 24 member UC Commission on the Future has 0 staff, 2 students, 4 faculty.http://bit.ly/42fvYQ #ucwalkout
Via @angryasianman, “Squinty eyes” student govt campaign poster parody sparks controversy at Tufts:http://bit.ly/3yw7tc
My post from last week on teaching feminism has been cross-posted at @samsanator‘s blog: http://bit.ly/4jrSX
My full campus-by-campus roundup of the #UCWalkout. (More news on UC coming at the blog today.)http://bit.ly/walkout3
RT @queerunity Gender is in between your ears (brain), sex is in between your legs. #transtuesday
Don’t forget Iran’s students: thousands marched in Tehran yesterday and today. http://bit.ly/2YDVQ5 #iranelection
Two Polanski facts to remember: He admitted in court that he knew she was 13, and she told police he anally raped her.
Also, it shows feminism works! RT @AmandaMarcotte: 85% drop in rape rate since the 70s shows convicting rapists is an effective deterrent.
Get your http://studentactivism.net updates on Facebook!http://bit.ly/3VSfvI
Pitt students, arrested and tear-gassed in their dorms at#G20, demand action: http://bit.ly/10KX5S (please RT)
Fascinated by #nestlefamily Twitter war. (Mombloggers at Nestle retreat vs critics of Nestle 3rd world formula mkting.)
By the way, this #nestlefamily-inspired post by @phdinparenting is amazing: http://bit.ly/wuDfB.
Want to know why formula is dangerous to at-risk babies? Read the WHO FAQ:http://bit.ly/rtLrK
Okay, here’s the coolest thing ever to happen ever:http://bit.ly/lusWj (via @PostBourgie) Gotta love the Nate Silver shoutout, too.
Powerful comment from a Pitt alum on my #G20 protest post:http://bit.ly/10KX5S
RT @peterrothberg: Great piece I edited by @adibranco on the “Student Sex Column Movement.” http://bit.ly/qUZ2P
Nestle is no friend to kids. Its marketing practices kill kids. If people are angry at #nestlefamily bloggers that’s why.
I’ve asked @nestlefamily more than half a dozen questions in the last two days. They’ve answered zero. #nestlefamily
A review and link roundup on the #UCSCoccupation, still going strong after seven days: http://bit.ly/2lpri1
UC Santa Cruz students end building occupation after seven days: http://bit.ly/zKR2J #ucscoccupation @occupyucsc
Ta-Nehisi Coates on the dilemmas posed by white racists’ love for @CoryBooker http://tr.im/ArRL (via @AdamSerwer)
“Even Cochran didn’t have the nerve to say ‘Did you see OJ play against New England?'” -Chris Rock on Polanski’s defenders
Hat tip to @jaclynf on that Chris Rock/roman Polanski quote, by the way. http://bit.ly/Uc2fU
Was the UCSC occupation the longest sit-in since the sixties? I look at the history. #ucscoccupation http://bit.ly/OQcPi
Amazing #nestlefamily wrapup from @EvilSlutClique: http://bit.ly/2ihofP. Everything I’d have said, but said better.
RT @forstudentpower: Progressive/radical students in New England/Midatlantic: register for the SDS Northeast convention! http://bit.ly/ocn1N
RT @forstudentpower: “I tweeted the law and the law won” –#G20 activist monitoring police scanners arrested by FBI:http://bit.ly/1fD3OL
RT @lissnup: Students in Iran being disciplined, suspended, expelled, beaten, arrested, imprisoned. Student Activists of the World Unite!
Fifteen great questions for Nestle from @phdinparenting:http://tinyurl.com/ybaxbc3 #nestlefamily
RT @stu4ca: Save California’s universities | Judith Butler in guardian.co.uk http://bit.ly/ixOEq
Fantastic. RT @jsmooth995: Great story of Stevie Wonder sitting in with local band in SF: http://tr.im/AFBt Video here:http://tr.im/AFBP
Great line, via @restruct: Dear Male Geeks: A woman is not a Rubik’s cube that turns into a fleshlight when you win.http://bit.ly/2CJd5
Texas student gvt, pressured by parents & alums, upholds homecoming court ban on same-sex couples: http://bit.ly/4cRa2L
I was off the grid last weekend, so I didn’t have the chance to post that week’s Twitter highlights. Here’s the best of the week before last, starting with the evening of September 20th…
North Carolina CCs adopt a new policy on undocumented immigrant students — their 5th in 9 years:http://bit.ly/u7C0H
#MadMen just gave a shout-out to the Dublin House, one of my favorite old obscure NYC bars.
Binge drinking at college keeps growing. Is it time to rethink the 21-year-old drinking age? http://bit.ly/Q5tEO
Bahrain: Student activist expelled for leafleting about students’ rights and educational quality. http://bit.ly/10wrVD
Men march against sexual assault at Penn State:http://bit.ly/Yg9OW
On the Hofstra rape case and telling the truth about sexual assault: http://bit.ly/1vB5aV
If you find yourself saying something is “not about race,” guess what? It’s partly about race. That’s how race WORKS.
RT @NUS_President The Irish national student Union led by @petermannion continue to fight uni fees: http://www.usi.ie/
Brick City is riveting. RT @glamorousvandal: what the fuck are you watching if you ain’t watching #BRICKCITY
U of Kentucky students march against anti-student housing law: http://bit.ly/GCpzp
Interview w/Speaker of CA Assembly on state’s budget freefall & her own campus activist past: http://bit.ly/B8qFX, via @ucLActivist323
(1 of 2) Good piece via @NiemanLab: Twitter as tool of cultural diplomacy. But why assume intercultural dialogue is international? http://tr.im/zpjs
(2 of 2) Part of the beauty of Twitter is that it fosters “cultural diplomacy” among neighbors, not just among strangers.
I’m going to have to write about this piece. RT @HappyFeminist: Teaching Feminism When You’re Not a Feminist http://bit.ly/ZfAFk
This post from @theapants, “PC nitpicking on mixed race folks and the language of fractions,” is 100% awesome:http://bit.ly/108PUf
Via @queerunity, a link to Too Asexy for My Shorts, a worth-reading blog by an asexual (ace) woman.http://bit.ly/4oN4Km
My answer to the question “how do you teach feminism if you’re not a feminist?” http://bit.ly/4fOl4x
UC Davis students’ naked protest against tuition hikes & budget cuts in advance of 9/24 #UCWalkouthttp://bit.ly/3r5Gb7
RT @baratunde right now. @OurBrickCity is on Sundance Channel. srsly. watch this show. every night this week.#JustDoIt
UK educator compares classrooms to strip clubs, calls ogling female students a “perk” of teaching. http://bit.ly/qFAZu
RT @Monique_Teal #DREAMAct Day of Action is TODAY! Not too late to join an action near you: http://dreamactivist.org!
I’ve updated the Speaking Engagements page on the website for folks who may be interested in bringing me to campus:http://bit.ly/mrMcC
What’s going on with tomorrow’s #UCWalkout:http://bit.ly/c7Zam (please RT & post additional links)
RT @glsen: Amazing NY Times mag story about LGBT middle school students and the benefits of GSAs http://bit.ly/ygDel
UC wants to raise in-state fees 45% in a year, to $11,000+? #UCWalkout! http://bit.ly/c7Zam
Plans for the UC walkout, campus by campus:http://bit.ly/ucwalkout (Please RT!) #UCwalkout
Kansas students fight gory antichoice propaganda w/fabulous sex-positive sex ed: http://bit.ly/zAXcO (via @ChoiceUSA)
Finding lots of great folks on Twitter via the #UCwalkoutstory–check out @NewFacMajority, the activist adjunct group.
Um, WOW. #UCwalkout, Berkeley: http://twitpic.com/iyy8d(via @jonchang)
New post — reports from the UC walkout.http://bit.ly/ucwalkout2, #UCwalkout
Okay, I’ve written 56 tweets and 14 blog updates (and taught three classes) in the last 16 hours. Time for bed. Goodnight all. #UCwalkout
RT @soulrebelJ: If anyone tries to convince you to commit violence based on your beliefs, they’re probably the police. Just say no.
Reports on yesterday’s #UCwalkout protests, rallies, and occupations: http://bit.ly/walkout3 (Please RT!)
RT @rootwork, @iwasaround @G20IMC: Police Attack Students at University of Pittsburgh (Video)http://bit.ly/2ZKx9x #g20
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