Sep

23

SAT Scores and Affirmative Action

Posted by: J. Gordon Hylton | September 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment

In her majority opinion in the landmark civil rights case Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306, 342-44 (2003), Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote:
Enshrining a permanent justification for racial preferences would offend this fundamental equal protection principle. We see no reason to exempt race-conscious admissions programs from the requirement that all governmental use of race must [...]

Sep

11

Constitution Day

Posted by: Chad M. Oldfather | September 11, 2009 | 1 Comment

Some portions of the Constitution are the subject of frequent discussion. Concepts like “due process,” “equal protection,” “freedom of speech,” and the like are headline-grabbers. Phrases like “Commerce … among the several States” do not resonate quite as much with the general public, but are certainly familiar to lawyers.
A glance at the Constitution [...]

Feb

17

Ask God What Your Grade Is

Posted by: Richard M. Esenberg | February 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment

This morning I have mostly questions.
A student has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles City College, claiming that he was giving a class-assigned speech on same sex marriage (which he apparently opposes) and his instructor interrupted him calling him a “fascist bastard.” The instructor then dismissed the class without allowing the student to finish and, on his [...]

Feb

13

Academic Freedom and Academic Anarchy

Posted by: Charles Clausen | February 13, 2009 | 1 Comment

Stanley Fish’s most recent column in the New York Times (The Two Languages of Academic Freedom, Feb. 8, 2009) is a good read. Fish tells the story of Denis Rancourt, a tenured full professor of physics at the University of Ottawa. Professor Rancourt is (or perhaps, was) a serious scientist, at least if his profile page [...]

Dec

31

Lessons for Law School Deans Regarding Catholics in Political Life

Posted by: Daniel Suhr | December 31, 2008 | 12 Comments

Let me again extend my appreciation to Deans Kearney and O’Hear for the opportunity to serve as December’s guest alumnus blogger of the month, and to all of you who joined the conversation in the comments section. I’ll be right there with you starting tomorrow. Let me also take advantage of my month’s [...]

Dec

15

Careful Whom You Email!

Posted by: Thomas Kamenick | December 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Want to email professors asking them to take a stance on a particular college-related issue?  Not a safe idea if you attend Michigan State University.  The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (”FIRE”) reported last week that a member of the student government at M.S.U. was found guilty of violating the university’s “spam” policy, which [...]

Dec

2

Professor Fired for Humiliating Students for Plagiarism

Posted by: Paul M. Secunda | December 2, 2008 | 5 Comments

From the Daily Texan a couple of weeks ago:
Texas A&M International University in Laredo fired a professor for publishing the names of students accused of plagiarism.
In his syllabus, professor Loye Young wrote that he would “promptly and publicly fail and humiliate anyone caught lying, cheating or stealing.” After he discovered six students had plagiarized [...]