The Truth About COB - USM Forum -- Message Board

truth4usmAH · Status: Offline

RE: The Truth About COB

Dr VanNostren · Status: Offline

truth4usmAH wrote:

Yes, if you would only take off your "cloak of anonymity," Dr. Van N., then we would *truly* know the *truthiness* of your identity.

Anonymous posters, indeed.

Truly spoken like someone who is outside the reach of USM.

truth4usmAH · Status: Offline

You've yet to address my request for more facts about how a certain professor's situation is just like Frank and Gary's...because you have no facts to support this claim?

Try again, Mr/Mrs Must Not Be Named.

Dr VanNostren · Status: Offline

Let me expound a bit on that last post. There seems to be somewhat of an attitude that once Shelby is gone, the university will return to the golden age -- not a matter of IF but WHEN. The truth is that about 95% of Shelby's bad actions were enabled by pliable administrators at lower levels, including deans who played their faculty against Thames and Thames against their faculty, all for personal gain. People are still getting fired for political speech.

Now, as you sit away from USM, your speech is protected by a university that values speech, in a way that USM does not and may not ever. I, on the other hand, have knowledge of atempts to fire quality faculty members in the CoB. Thames may have been handcuffed, but those below him have not.

Dr VanNostren · Status: Offline

truth4usmAH wrote:

You've yet to address my request for more facts about how a certain professor's situation is just like Frank and Gary's...because you have no facts to support this claim?

Try again, Mr/Mrs Must Not Be Named.

Not my place to put innocent names on the Internet. Again: Lucas Teaching Excellence Finalist 2 years ago (and one of the CoB's most internationally recognized scholars) had to "lawyer up" to prevent termination from former CoB administrators because of freedom of speech issues. Another faculty member terminated for same reason. I suspect you'll be reading all about it soon enough, though, and in "legitimate" outlets.

stinky cheese man · Status: Offline

i probably should not comment, but . . . i find the issue of whether a particular professor's situation has to be as bad as (or comparable to) S & G's situation to warrant concern to be a sad statement. i would like to think that concern would be aroused well before things got as bad as it did for G & S. i personally think the grievance posted on the usmnews site represents awful treatment (i also know that it only represents one side of a grievance, so my opinion reflects that knowledge). i suspect that because of G & S, some administrators are more subtle (or less public) in their mistreatment of faculty.

truth4usmAH · Status: Offline

I'm done with this thread...my whole point was to stop the hijacking of this board by certain individuals who have nothing better to do than try and get more traffic for their slanderous website.

Have fun,

Truth

Chez de Guerre · Status: Offline

Mes amis,

Upon the morrow, I must have Miss Angleterre make discrete inquiries about Dr. Van Nostern. We were considering a nomination for Dr. V to become an HGC, but must with regret take no action until more is known of this puzzling situation. The rules of Gentleman Callers and Honorary Gentleman Callers are explicit, that only gentlemen may apply. In fact, I have the headache most severe -- "pounding" as you say -- and my chaise awaits. This happens most distressingly often when I see "COB" in any of our threads.

You all need a glass or two of champagne and a few dark chocolate raspberry creams, both most restorative of the good spirits.

bonne nuit,

Monique de Guerre

PS The felicitations most heartfelt to our Honorary Gentleman Caller, Professeur Panton, upon his nuptials. Many blessings upon you both! I heard several ladies sigh deeply upon hearing the news, including our own Miss Angleterre.

Cossack · Status: Offline

truth4usmAH:I started this thread and I do not contribute in any way to any website. Your comments are in error in that regard. Thank you stinky cheese man for writing what I intended to write. Your candor is refreshing. This thread has been an eye opener for me in that it revealed a side of many posters I have not seen before, a side that I did not know they had. It demonstrates once again that many who profess to believe in free speech and open debate believe in the concept very narrowly. It is their own free speech that they are talking about, not that of those who dissent. Vilifying those you disagree with is a trait I have associated with uneducated people who have not been exposed to the intellectual concept of free speech. Today I see that it is alive and well in the educated gentry.

modified type size only -- mod

-- Edited by Moderator at 17:39, 2007-05-10

truth4usmAH · Status: Offline

Cossack: If you have read this board consistently, you will remember how a Certain Professor Who Must Not Be Named has repeatedly attempted to hijack this board to further his own cause. And now his lawyer/wife has emailed the webmaster/moderator of this board to send a not-so thinly-veiled threat that if his name is mentioned on this site, there will be consequences (of which one must assume would be legal in nature). So, while he may have a legitimate complaint about how he has been treated in his department/college, his actions on this board do nothing to convince me that I should support him in this endeavor. If others wish to do so, then so be it. But the fact that he is even posting on this board (or has others post for him on the board) lets you know how I and others feel about free speech. My free speech to disagree with his methods/actions is just as important as his free speech to spout off about his dean, etc.

Truth

Moderator · Status: Offline

The attorney insists that a request was made, not a threat. Like most laymen, I construe requests from lawyers to contain implied threats, if not actual ones. However, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt this time. We continue to comply with the request. I'd like to let this end please.

truth4usmAH · Status: Offline

Moderator: I respect your wishes and this is where I'd like to end it, too. I only responded to Cossack to let him know that free speech means free speech for EVERYONE, including those who do not agree with the Must Not Be Nameds. I'll curb my responses on this thread, and will be glad to move on to another thread if people want to debate the merits of free speech, etc.

Truth

Cossack · Status: Offline

Moderator,

I will write no more about this issue. I appreciate your patience and tolerance. I did enjoy this thread in a strange way, it took me back to when I tried to reason with my children. Thankfully they have grown and face the same problem with their own children.