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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Sept 14, 2022 13:58:14 GMT -5
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hoyaguy
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,848
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Post by hoyaguy on Sept 17, 2022 12:35:21 GMT -5
While I would’ve expected us to do poorly in this topic, I did not expect this low. There were numerous classes in my time at gtown that I felt like if I said something slightly outside the echo chamber then I risked putting myself in an uncomfortable position (and I’m not on the right and it’s not even with anything political but people could be very punitive over any simple disagreement which is a real shame). Disagreeing with a professor’s stance definitely lost my friend a ton of points over a semester in one particular core class, I remember distinctly because she ranted about it every other night. And it doesn’t shock me that this thread got kind of left hanging because if an issue at gtown can’t be explained away somehow or deflected then it would rather just be left alone to fade into the background lol |
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SSHoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
Posts: 18,261
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Post by SSHoya on Sept 17, 2022 13:35:17 GMT -5
While I would’ve expected us to do poorly in this topic, I did not expect this low. There were numerous classes in my time at gtown that I felt like if I said something slightly outside the echo chamber then I risked putting myself in an uncomfortable position (and I’m not on the right and it’s not even with anything political but people could be very punitive over any simple disagreement which is a real shame). Disagreeing with a professor’s stance definitely lost my friend a ton of points over a semester in one particular core class, I remember distinctly because she ranted about it every other night. And it doesn’t shock me that this thread got kind of left hanging because if an issue at gtown can’t be explained away somehow or deflected then it would rather just be left alone to fade into the background lol I'll admit to a kneejerk negative reaction based upon its funding sources: FIRE has received major funding from groups which primarily support conservative and libertarian causes, including the Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute. FIRE has been described as a competitor of the larger ACLU. In 2021, FIRE had an annual revenue of $16.1 million. But to quote Mao: "Let one hundred flowers bloom." An advocacy group that has spent more than two decades fighting for free expression on college campuses is broadening its efforts to fight so-called cancel culture and other perceived threats to free speech across American society. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is renaming itself the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and keeping the “FIRE” acronym as it launches a drive to promote greater acceptance of a diversity of views in the workplace, pop culture and elsewhere. Part of the push may challenge the American Civil Liberties Union’s primacy as a defender of free speech. While FIRE has received praise from many free-speech advocates, some critics have said the group is a thinly veiled front for conservatives looking to promote their political agenda. Since its inception, FIRE has received funding from a variety of conservative foundations, including millions from some linked to billionaire Charles Koch. SOURCE: Politico, June 6, 2022 |
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Sept 29, 2022 18:54:24 GMT -5
While I would’ve expected us to do poorly in this topic, I did not expect this low. There were numerous classes in my time at gtown that I felt like if I said something slightly outside the echo chamber then I risked putting myself in an uncomfortable position (and I’m not on the right and it’s not even with anything political but people could be very punitive over any simple disagreement which is a real shame). Disagreeing with a professor’s stance definitely lost my friend a ton of points over a semester in one particular core class, I remember distinctly because she ranted about it every other night. And it doesn’t shock me that this thread got kind of left hanging because if an issue at gtown can’t be explained away somehow or deflected then it would rather just be left alone to fade into the background lol I'll admit to a kneejerk negative reaction based upon its funding sources: FIRE has received major funding from groups which primarily support conservative and libertarian causes, including the Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute. FIRE has been described as a competitor of the larger ACLU. In 2021, FIRE had an annual revenue of $16.1 million. But to quote Mao: "Let one hundred flowers bloom." An advocacy group that has spent more than two decades fighting for free expression on college campuses is broadening its efforts to fight so-called cancel culture and other perceived threats to free speech across American society. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is renaming itself the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and keeping the “FIRE” acronym as it launches a drive to promote greater acceptance of a diversity of views in the workplace, pop culture and elsewhere. Part of the push may challenge the American Civil Liberties Union’s primacy as a defender of free speech. While FIRE has received praise from many free-speech advocates, some critics have said the group is a thinly veiled front for conservatives looking to promote their political agenda. Since its inception, FIRE has received funding from a variety of conservative foundations, including millions from some linked to billionaire Charles Koch. SOURCE: Politico, June 6, 2022 All fair, but a few thoughts. 1. Regardless of who drafted the rankings, it's all relative. The University of Chicago is not exactly a conservative powerhouse (even if it does have some leanings historically), and was ranked best in free speech. The Ivies are mixed, though clearly shaded toward the bottom: Dartmouth (83), Brown (114), Cornell (154), Barnard (167), Princeton (169), Harvard (170), Yale (198), Penn (202), Columbia (203). Other arguable peers include schools like Notre Dame (ranked 31), Washington and Lee (70), Stanford (106), Duke (109), and Vanderbilt (122). Incidentally, DePaul did pretty well, ranked 61, and a bunch of ACC schools also did pretty well. So, yeah, Georgetown's rank is low, but there are peer schools that are ranked a lot better, so it makes me think there's something there? 2. FIRE listed 5 "Warning" schools - in their words these are "schools [that] have policies that clearly and consistently state that it prioritizes other values over a commitment to freedom of speech." The five are Hillsdale, Pepperdine University, Brigham Young University, Baylor University, Saint Louis. At least a few of those are conservative leaning schools, so clearly even if FIRE has some libertarian/right leaning donors, it's still calling some of these schools, which would be considered conservative, out. It's been a long time since I have been a Georgetown student, so I really cannot speak to the current state of affairs. I just thought it was interesting. |
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SSHoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
Posts: 18,261
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Post by SSHoya on Sept 29, 2022 19:00:50 GMT -5
I'll admit to a kneejerk negative reaction based upon its funding sources: FIRE has received major funding from groups which primarily support conservative and libertarian causes, including the Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Charles Koch Institute. FIRE has been described as a competitor of the larger ACLU. In 2021, FIRE had an annual revenue of $16.1 million. But to quote Mao: "Let one hundred flowers bloom." An advocacy group that has spent more than two decades fighting for free expression on college campuses is broadening its efforts to fight so-called cancel culture and other perceived threats to free speech across American society. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is renaming itself the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and keeping the “FIRE” acronym as it launches a drive to promote greater acceptance of a diversity of views in the workplace, pop culture and elsewhere. Part of the push may challenge the American Civil Liberties Union’s primacy as a defender of free speech. While FIRE has received praise from many free-speech advocates, some critics have said the group is a thinly veiled front for conservatives looking to promote their political agenda. Since its inception, FIRE has received funding from a variety of conservative foundations, including millions from some linked to billionaire Charles Koch. SOURCE: Politico, June 6, 2022 All fair, but a few thoughts. 1. Regardless of who drafted the rankings, it's all relative. The University of Chicago is not exactly a conservative powerhouse (even if it does have some leanings historically), and was ranked best in free speech. The Ivies are mixed, though clearly shaded toward the bottom: Dartmouth (83), Brown (114), Cornell (154), Barnard (167), Princeton (169), Harvard (170), Yale (198), Penn (202), Columbia (203). Other arguable peers include schools like Notre Dame (ranked 31), Washington and Lee (70), Stanford (106), Duke (109), and Vanderbilt (122). Incidentally, DePaul did pretty well, ranked 61, and a bunch of ACC schools also did pretty well. So, yeah, Georgetown's rank is low, but there are peer schools that are ranked a lot better, so it makes me think there's something there? 2. FIRE listed 5 "Warning" schools - in their words these are "schools [that] have policies that clearly and consistently state that it prioritizes other values over a commitment to freedom of speech." The five are Hillsdale, Pepperdine University, Brigham Young University, Baylor University, Saint Louis. At least a few of those are conservative leaning schools, so clearly even if FIRE has some libertarian/right leaning donors, it's still calling some of these schools, which would be considered conservative, out. It's been a long time since I have been a Georgetown student, so I really cannot speak to the current state of affairs. I just thought it was interesting. Same here. I'm SFS '77, L '84 so am really removed from the current atmosphere on campus. Frankly, my brother at Tufts (class of '75), always viewed Georgetown as a conservative, stodgy school in that decade. |
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,597
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Post by RusskyHoya on Feb 20, 2024 21:57:14 GMT -5
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