The purpose/tone of this board - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jul 30, 2004

The purpose/tone of this board

Date: Jul 30, 2004

foot soldier said:

I believe this _is_ an official AAUP website and bulletin board. What exactly were you hoping to read on the bulletin board? (This is an honest question.) The AAUP chapter at USM is part of a larger national organization of university professors. If you have complaints about how the board is run, you should address them to Amy Young, not to the board participants.

Give the history of e-mail monitoring at USM, if this board were to be on the USM server, we would no longer be anonymous. Then there would no longer be a message board.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

student said:

Since just about anyone with an internet connection can post to this message board, it cannot represent only the views of usm's aaup. The credibility of any posting should not be taken very seriously as anyone anywhere can post anything.

My opinion is that this message board would be more appropriately associated with the fireshelby website or an equivalent home (thank you fireshelby for all your hard work in keeping it going the way you did). I can't see how having this message board on the aaup website is better than giving it a home outside, so that the aaup can clearly represent itself as a professional organization, without giving a means for the expression of many folks who are neither usm faculty nor members of usm's aaup.

How does having the message board linked to the aaup website make more sense than giving it a site of its own? It seems to politicize the aaup's views without aaup members having a choice about how they are characterized. People can and do surf this site making assumptions about what the aaup at usm believe. Is this what aaup members want?

Date: Jul 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
"Thought I would start a separate thread on the tone or purpose of this message board. On a separate thread (one of the 099 threads), an issue was raised about the tone and purpose of this board, seeing that is it "attached" to the AAUP website. Even though there is a disclaimer at the top of this board saying that all posts are welcome, some feel that this board should be restricted to faculty members only or moved to another site if it is to remain in its current form. What do you think?"

It doesn't matter to me where this message board is located, but please don't restrict it faculty members only. This message board and the FS board has helped to spread informative information to the general public.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

I have often thought about this question, as I am not a USM faculty member. I am an alumnus who cares very deeply about what is happening at USM right now. But I do wonder if the content of this board should always be associated with AAUP-USM. I know the premise (free speech) is an AAUP tenet, but then folks like me aren't & can't be AAUP members.

IIRC, AAUP-USM "adopted" the FireShelby community when FS had to give it up. Personally, I wonder if a separately-hosted board would be more in line with what AAUP-USM needs to accomplish...

I'd like to hear what the bona fide AAUP members think about this. And if "student" is proposing (in a roundabout way) to set up another site/board, I'd like to hear that proposal, too.

(Footnote: I think ActiveBoard is a limiting factor. I much prefer formats such as "slash" (Slashdot.org) that have built-in peer moderation systems. But they are a P.I.T.A. to set up & require a shipload of volunteer work behind the scenes.)

Date: Jul 30, 2004

Some of the best contributions to this and the FS board have come from alumni, former faculty, business people, students, faculty from other campuses and friends of the university. Participation from a wide spectrum of perspectives has been extremely valuable.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

Let It Be!

http://www.iqm.ro/beatles/lyrics/pletitbe.html

Date: Jul 30, 2004

I have mixed feelings about this. As an outsider, I have no "right" to post on this board. Yet I feel strongly about the past abuses, current problems, and future potential of the university. I can be and have been influential - in ways that many faculty members cannot be. Should I not be allowed to post? I truly don't know. I do believe that the board is occasionally manipulated by those with their own axes to grind - I'm not sure that limiting post membership to USM faculty members will change that. I don't believe that the new board has been as effective as the old board. That is a function of multiple things. The times and sense of urgency have changed. The moderator's role has changed. The composition of the board has changed. The summer has changed the pace of activity. I will respect and abide by the decisions made by AAUP members. Perhaps AAUP officers will make an official statement regarding this issue.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
"student said:The credibility of any posting should not be taken very seriously as anyohoice about how they are characterized. People can and do surf this site making assumptions about what the aaup at usm believe. Is this what aaup members want? "

This is a good point. As a member of AAUP, I raised concern at the very outset that hosting this board might damage the credibility of the organization. I support the message board fully, but do have concerns about it's collateral effect on the image of AAUP.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

Isn’t any university the sum of all its contributors, whether it be through money (obtained via taxation or via donations) or ideas or educational efforts? If AAUP is worried that a post may reflect on their organization, put a disclaimer on web site: “Although USM AAUP sponsors this board, in the interests of free speech and the exchange of all ideas of taxpayers, etc we allow open dialogue and posting. Any posting which does not follow the rules will be deleted.” Then post the rules.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

Thank you, truth4usm for starting this up in another thread. Maybe I could share some background for my asking about moving the website- I have followed the fireshelby/aaup message board for almost a year, since I am an out of state student and have been interested in a graduate program at usm. Though I had a brief opportunity to learn about the students and faculty there when I visited, I wanted to learn what was happening at the school and found a ton of information (that I tried to take with a grain of salt) through the message board. I personally have come to respect many of the faculty and alumni who post regularly and am excited about starting grad school this fall at usm.

However, I know that people such as your peers at other universities also have found this website and not had the perspective of reading posts during the March hearings and seeing the best of what this message board has to offer. One of my teachers who recommended me for grad school found this site without my mentioning it to them- I don't know that they had the right context for some of it, but it did influence their perception of the faculty at usm. So as long as aaup members are aware and okay with this happening, it is their business to keep the website where it is.

Former executive & Flash Gordon- the message board could still be open to anyone who wants to post, if that is how the website moderator wants it to be. It could be basically the same, but on another website, just as it was when fireshelby hosted it.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

I'm a member of AAUP and I like the openness of the message board. While university teachers make up the formal membership of the AAUP, our meetings are generally open and (if not in some crisis exec-session kind of thing) we usually welcome comments from visiting students, staff, community folk, etc. We exist to protect certain principles of academic governance and conduct, and to do that, it seems to me, we need to hear about the university from everyone concerned.

On the other hand, if someone wanted to start a separate message board with no particular affiliation, this might be good also, or instead. I wouldn't expect any new freestanding board to be a resurrection of FireShelby. FS was one-of-a-kind, linked to the immediate situation and driven by real grassroots need. But a new board might incorporate many of the virtues of FS into new structures reflecting the developing situation.

That, of course, is up to some brave individual(s). But perhaps there's a halfway course here. If AAUP membership has some particularly member-ish thing to do--I don't know, discussion of meeting procedures or something like that--just tag the thread, maybe with "MM" for "member matters" or something like that. Anyone could still read it but those uninterested in the business of the organization could skip it. Alternatively those carrying on the informing/evaluating work of FS could tag their threads "FS."

I'm not very good at this--new to message boards!--but those are my thoughts.

And here's one more: why is there no USM board devoted to free (but civil!) discourse??

We all know the answer to that one, folks.

NO QUARTER.

Anne Wallace

Date: Jul 30, 2004

I am not fauclty at USM, but htis board has given me a very deep respect for those faculty. They are thoughtful, smart, funny, and deeply committed to their work. This board has been an open forum for fauclty and those who care about them to meet and talk freely.

Wherever it is located, this board is very much in keeping with the goals of AAUP. It has done much to let prople see what the faculty are really like.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

This board has done more to open up communication at USM any other single vechicle. I found meaningful communication about meaningful issues at USM virtually nonexistant within the college with which I was affiliated there.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

This board is supplying a valuable service. I especially appreciate the well thought out discussions of both faculty and general public. My only annoyance is the "humor" threads and "games" to occupy the "bored" members. They remind me of teen chat rooms. But I don't mind if their titles make it clear, so that I can save my valuable time and skip them.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
"This board is supplying a valuable service. I especially appreciate the well thought out discussions of both faculty and general public. My only annoyance is the "humor" threads and "games" to occupy the "bored" members. They remind me of teen chat rooms. But I don't mind if their titles make it clear, so that I can save my valuable time and skip them. "

OUCH!!!

Date: Jul 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Bored Games
"OUCH!!!"

]

Sorry Bored Games, I didn't mean to step on toes.
But I, and others, look to the AAUP for information and debate on serious issues. It sure was a welcomed oasis during the past semester with all of the votes of "no confidence". Many have no direct contact with faculty and staff from other areas of USM except for this board. Students may not realize they may be getting a better overall view of USM than Faculty & Staff in this regard.

Date: Jul 30, 2004

It's okay - I also appreciate the serious dialogue and have always enjoyed your valuable suggestions - have corresponded with you meaningfully on multiple occasions, in fact! Sometimes we all need a break from the stress. Please take my place in the Jumble game and try it - maybe you will like it!

Date: Jul 30, 2004

Thanks Bored. I haven't even read "the Jumble game" and I'm not good a "word" games. I like math and logic. I guess I'm still in my "combat" mode from spring. I think we now need to prepare for the "cold war" because I think SFT has learned a lot from the past battles and won't make stupid mistakes again. Hanbury did provide us a service.