There is an interesting academic controversy out of Louisiana State University where Professor Teresa Buchanan, who specializes in early childhood education and trains elementary school teachers, has been fired for creating what university administrators describe as a “hostile learning environment” that amounted to sexual harassment. However, the crux of the charges appears to be Buchanan’s use of foul language and bawdy jokes. The question is why (as recommended by the faculty committee) Buchanan was not simply reprimand or censured for such violations as opposed to fired.
Buchanan appears to have favored ““F*** no” to questions in class and using the crude slang term for vagina to suggest someone is a coward. She also made a a joke that the quality of sex gets worse the longer a relationship lasts.
Clearly some students took offense, but I have not seen such language issues result in termination. Indeed, it is not clear from the record why such language would be viewed as akin to sexual harassment. She is not first to use profanity in a classroom, something that occurs in high level classes with older students.
Buchanan says that most of the incident occurred during a divorce when she may have been a bit less guarded in her terminology. I think that the five faculty member committee found a compromise in sanctioning the language while also finding that Buchanan’s comments were not “systematically directed at any individual.” That factual finding makes the termination highly problematic in my view. Moreover, the committee noted that the chair of Buchanan’s department should have worked to resolve the issues over her behavior before the matter was simply turned over to the Human Resources Office for investigation and action.
LSU President and Chancellor F. King Alexander rejected the faculty committee’s recommendations and focused entirely on the committee finding that the language could be viewed as sexual harassment. The Chancellor also cited an allegation that Buchanan had violated a student’s rights under the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. However that allegation was rejected as “not substantiated by testimony.” Alexander’s selective reading of the report and dismissal of key findings and recommendations is highly disturbing in my view for academic freedom and due process.
Source: Advocate
“We must feel for the Constitution itself…” – James Madison
James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights to begin and end the amendment process.
James Madison lived and practiced in Ben Franklin’s restricted-vote “.. republic, if you can keep it.”
Subsequent amendments have seen “…a door opened for a re-consideration of the whole structure of the
government,…that America has not been “…very likely to stop at that point which would be safe to the
government itself.”
Modification of the Constitution and American thesis was prescribed against by James Madison, lest the
Constitution itself be destroyed. The Constitution was mortally wounded many “amendments” ago.
James Madison, “…it is necessary to proceed with caution;
for while we feel all these inducements to go into a revisal of the constitution, we must feel for the
constitution itself,
and make that revisal a moderate one.
I should be unwilling to see a door opened for a re-consideration of the whole structure of the government,
for a re-consideration of the principles and the substance of the powers given;
because I doubt, if such a door was opened, if we should be very likely to stop at that point which would be
safe to the government itself:”
**********
James Madison – June 8, 1789
“I do conceive that the constitution may be amended; that is to say, if all power is subject to abuse, that then it is possible the abuse of the powers of the general government may be guarded against in a more secure manner than is now done, while no one advantage, arising from the exercise of that power, shall be damaged or endangered by it. We have in this way something to gain, and, if we proceed with caution, nothing to lose; and in this case it is necessary to proceed with caution; for while we feel all these inducements to go into a revisal of the constitution, we must feel for the constitution itself, and make that revisal a moderate one. I should be unwilling to see a door opened for a re-consideration of the whole structure of the government, for a re-consideration of the principles and the substance of the powers given; because I doubt, if such a door was opened, if we should be very likely to stop at that point which would be safe to the government itself: But I do wish to see a door opened to consider, so far as to incorporate those provisions for the security of rights,…”
“…AMENDMENTS DESIRED, OF SUCH A NATURE AS WILL NOT INJURE THE CONSTITUTION…”
– James Madison, June 8, 1789
Unconstitutional, tyrannical and despotic decisions, amendments, laws, programs and executive actions such as “Reconstruction Amendments,” Federal Reserve Board Act, Income tax, the 19th amendment,
“Fair Housing” (which illicitly nullifies private property), communist antithetical redistribution of the “Great Society” and affirmative action
have mortally “…injured the Constitution;…”
*****
“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” – Hillbilly
*****
“…a republic, if you can keep it.” – Ben Franklin.
(Of course, the republic he was practicing was restricted-vote, male, European, age 21, 50lb.s Sterling or 50 acres).
America didn’t stand for Franklin’s republic and it has fallen for everything.
*****
James Madison, “And if there are amendments desired,
of such a nature as will not injure the constitution,
and they can be ingrafted so as to give satisfaction to the doubting part of our fellow citizens;…”
Darren,
That’s a great catch! 🙂 It made me want to go look this F. King guy up. He’s a graduate of the UW, at Madison which explains a lot. My sister is graduate from there and I’m not sure Bernie Sanders is lefty enough for her.
“Dr. Alexander also has been asked to represent public higher education colleges and universities on numerous occasions to the United States Congress on issues of college affordability, student indebtedness, and institutional efficiency and effectiveness in efforts to address many of the growing challenges facing American higher education.”
He really is looking out for all his precious snowflakes.
Personally, while I disagree with almost all of the various “sexual harassment” laws, regulations, and policies, I absolutely love that fact that AT LAST a female got burned by them.
jonolan – I don’t like that anyone got burned at the stake of PC.
There is an old saw which has relevance here to both the teacher and the ickPray Chancellor.
Those who can: do.
Those who can’t: teach.
Those who can’t teach: teach teachers.
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The Chancellor shouild be fired. The students should stand up for the teacher. The teacher ought to get a different line of work. The problem here is that the students are learning to be teachers so in essence they can’t do anything. They won’t learn to teach either. LSU: went in dumb, come out dumb too. Hustlin round Atlanta in their alligator shoes.
@DarrenSmith
Oh, ROTFLMAO! I never noticed that!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter