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AMY MANDEL:Brandeis: Resist outside influences and pressures
by Amy Mandel
Columnists | 4/24/07
Posted online at 1:03 AM EST on 4/24/07
With all the worry about whether donations to Brandeis will continue after Jimmy Carter's January visit, it's good to remind ourselves of the dangers that emerge when outside forces pressure universities.
Alumni, hold your letters: I'm not saying that donating to the University you love is a bad thing. Actually, it's a great way for a university to stay connected to alumni and to acquire new resources. The danger emerges when the donation is used as an ultimatum of force. Although the views of alumnus donors are perfectly relevant when evaluating campus events, speakers like Carter shouldn't be barred from campus because of what donors or anyone outside of Brandeis may think.
A similar crisis of outside influence recently played out at the University of Florida in Gainesville when UF declined to give former governor Jeb Bush an honorary degree for his financial contributions to the university. The university had determined that he had not donated enough to receive an honorary degree, but because of fear of political backlash, it awarded Bush honorary alumnus status. External political forces pushed UF to compromise its principles and integrity.
The political pressure didn't stop there. Some Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives thought that Bush deserved more recognition. About two weeks ago, the House Schools and Learning Council passed a bill, introduced by Republican Congressman David Rivera, from my hometown of Miami, to rename UF's education school the "Jeb Bush College of Education." UF shouldn't have to capitulate to state demands. It should be able to steer its own course.
The absurdity of this demand is especially clear when we consider the merits of the former governor. Without getting into major Bush-bashing, it's clear that the governor's education plans crashed and burned during his term. Ask any Brandeis student from Florida about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test that all public high school students in Florida must pass in order to graduate, and a huge groan will be heard. Florida has one of the worst education systems in the nation-it is ranked 31st out of the 50 states in preparing students for college-and Bush has only hurt the situation. Naming a college after him just doesn't make sense.
Alumni, hold your letters: I'm not saying that donating to the University you love is a bad thing. Actually, it's a great way for a university to stay connected to alumni and to acquire new resources. The danger emerges when the donation is used as an ultimatum of force. Although the views of alumnus donors are perfectly relevant when evaluating campus events, speakers like Carter shouldn't be barred from campus because of what donors or anyone outside of Brandeis may think.
A similar crisis of outside influence recently played out at the University of Florida in Gainesville when UF declined to give former governor Jeb Bush an honorary degree for his financial contributions to the university. The university had determined that he had not donated enough to receive an honorary degree, but because of fear of political backlash, it awarded Bush honorary alumnus status. External political forces pushed UF to compromise its principles and integrity.
The political pressure didn't stop there. Some Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives thought that Bush deserved more recognition. About two weeks ago, the House Schools and Learning Council passed a bill, introduced by Republican Congressman David Rivera, from my hometown of Miami, to rename UF's education school the "Jeb Bush College of Education." UF shouldn't have to capitulate to state demands. It should be able to steer its own course.
The absurdity of this demand is especially clear when we consider the merits of the former governor. Without getting into major Bush-bashing, it's clear that the governor's education plans crashed and burned during his term. Ask any Brandeis student from Florida about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test that all public high school students in Florida must pass in order to graduate, and a huge groan will be heard. Florida has one of the worst education systems in the nation-it is ranked 31st out of the 50 states in preparing students for college-and Bush has only hurt the situation. Naming a college after him just doesn't make sense.
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James Sanders
posted 4/24/07 @ 1:56 PM EST
Umm if I understand it correctly...UF is a STATE school...so it SHOULD capitulate to state demands given that the state PAYS for it and sets the policy for it. (Continued…)
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