2008 Woodie Awards
From Right Field: Could it get any worse?
Natasha Sell
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Opinions
Every once in a while, in my efforts to procrastinate on all these papers I have to write this semester, I wander over to townhall.com and catch up on the conservative blogosphere. This week a particular one caught my eye because it was too bizarre to be true. Sadly, the article written by UNC-Wilmington's very own Dr. Mike Adams is very true.
In his blog post he speaks of the University of Delaware's new "treatment" plan for all dormitory residents. This is not treatment for obesity, or drugs, or illness, or that severe procrastination problem college students seem to catch, but an indoctrination treatment. According to Dr. Adams, this "treatment" involves residents having one on one meetings with their resident advisors during which the advisor asks a range of personal questions and judging by how much you squirm in your seat or do not seem to be receptive to the questions, they write a report on your views and whether they align with university approved beliefs.
Is the University of Delaware serious? I'm sorry, but I missed on college applications where we had to sign a contract saying we would agree with whatever ideology the university of said choice decided to shove down our throats, whether we agreed or not. Why should a university care what my beliefs are? I do not pay over twelve-thousand dollars a year for the university to tell me what to believe. I will decide that based on my own life experiences and by what I decide to take away from the classes I take.
When I first read Dr. Adams' article, my first thought was how lucky we are to go to a university that does not have policies like this. Being a conservative has rubbed plenty of my peers and professors the wrong way, but I am thankful that nobody has ever tried to force me to think in a way that contradicts what I believe. I would have transferred before I let that happen!
As I thought about this, another thought popped into my mind though. While UNCG does not necessarily exercise practices as ridiculous as the University of Delaware, they do still have policies in place to where they can very easily decide what students will see and hear, and even decide what is acceptable for campus. They are able to succeed in this silent endeavor through the outdoor assembly policy. While most of the policy is sound, there are two loopholes that at first glance may seem harmless, but actually allow the university a lot of room to decide what is and is not acceptable to them.
In his blog post he speaks of the University of Delaware's new "treatment" plan for all dormitory residents. This is not treatment for obesity, or drugs, or illness, or that severe procrastination problem college students seem to catch, but an indoctrination treatment. According to Dr. Adams, this "treatment" involves residents having one on one meetings with their resident advisors during which the advisor asks a range of personal questions and judging by how much you squirm in your seat or do not seem to be receptive to the questions, they write a report on your views and whether they align with university approved beliefs.
Is the University of Delaware serious? I'm sorry, but I missed on college applications where we had to sign a contract saying we would agree with whatever ideology the university of said choice decided to shove down our throats, whether we agreed or not. Why should a university care what my beliefs are? I do not pay over twelve-thousand dollars a year for the university to tell me what to believe. I will decide that based on my own life experiences and by what I decide to take away from the classes I take.
When I first read Dr. Adams' article, my first thought was how lucky we are to go to a university that does not have policies like this. Being a conservative has rubbed plenty of my peers and professors the wrong way, but I am thankful that nobody has ever tried to force me to think in a way that contradicts what I believe. I would have transferred before I let that happen!
As I thought about this, another thought popped into my mind though. While UNCG does not necessarily exercise practices as ridiculous as the University of Delaware, they do still have policies in place to where they can very easily decide what students will see and hear, and even decide what is acceptable for campus. They are able to succeed in this silent endeavor through the outdoor assembly policy. While most of the policy is sound, there are two loopholes that at first glance may seem harmless, but actually allow the university a lot of room to decide what is and is not acceptable to them.
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