Marquette University honors ’70s cop-killer Assata Shakur with mural

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Like I said awhile ago, Marquette being Marquette. Relative to our national relevance and value of the degree, we must have the dumbest bureaucrats in academia. I don't know how that's even debatable.

[GGGG]

Like I said awhile ago, Marquette being Marquette. Relative to our national relevance and value of the degree, we must have the dumbest bureaucrats in academia. I don't know how that's even debatable.

Yeah, I mean covering up the mural and firing the Center's director in less than 48 hours is really the work of dumb bureaucrats.

[warriorchick]

Like I said awhile ago, Marquette being Marquette. Relative to our national relevance and value of the degree, we must have the dumbest bureaucrats in academia. I don't know how that's even debatable.

Use hyperbole much?

How could this have been handled any better?  Do you think that any other institution "relative to our national relevance and value of the degree" has people who read and vet every institution-related social media post, or who walk every room of every building on a daily basis to make sure that nothing offensive is posted?  

Marquette just happens to have a professor who is bitter over losing his job for violating University Policy and decided he was going to try to take everyone down with him.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

We get in the national news for school screw ups every six months. This person is an idiot who should have never been hired in the first place. That's how you prevent stuff like this.

[tower912]

So, to recap, a small group of students, with a member of the faculty, commissioned a controversial mural in a rarely seen office in the student union.   It went unnoticed for a few weeks.   When it was finally brought to the attention of the top levels of administration, the mural was painted over and the faculty member fired.    

And some people continue to get their knickers in a twist.  To borrow from one of my favorite bands, Great Big Sea,   "let it go, let it go, this is smaller than you know.   It's no bigger than a pebble lying on a gravel road."

It appears that some of you just aren't happy unless you are faux-raged about something.    

[GGGG]

We get in the national news for school screw ups every six months. This person is an idiot who should have never been hired in the first place. That's how you prevent stuff like this.

Congratulations!  I was unaware that you have the ability to only hire employees who never screw up on the job!

Can you see the future?  Is there an oracle you seek advice from?  Tell us!!!  This is what prevents us from being mindless bureaucrats!!!

[warriorchick]

We get in the national news for school screw ups every six months. This person is an idiot who should have never been hired in the first place. That's how you prevent stuff like this.

Says someone who has apparently never hired anyone who wasn't excellent in every aspect.  Yes, Marquette is incompetent because not every single one of their thousands of employees measured up.

Or perhaps we should go back into a time machine to the 1970's and hire some other history professor.

[GGGG]

But seriously, tell me why she shouldn't have been hired in the first place.  Here is her LinkedIn profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/susannah-bartlow/7/369/9a8

What about her background said that she shouldn't have been hired at Marquette?

[muwarrior69]

I'd ask you to reconsider.  MU's senior leadership was as appalled as you were.  There's no doubt in my mind that this group chooses to push the envelope every chance they get.  I also think it's true that McAdams blogged for maximum impact and succeeded.  But the characterization that MU somehow celebrates Shakur's viewpoint is inaccurate.  Those who are trying to paint this administration as some far left leaning Berkeley-style team couldn't be further from the truth.  

I see they fired the head of the Gender and Sexuality Center. My concern is will her replacement be any better as they will likely hire someone with a similar view.

If McAdams is dismissed will they replace him with another person who shares his views?

Just asking.

[tower912]

I see they fired the head of the Gender and Sexuality Center. My concern is will her replacement be any better as they will likely hire someone with a similar view.

If McAdams is dismissed will they replace him with another person who shares his views?

Just asking.

I hope so.  On both counts.   Vive' la difference!

[warriorchick]

If McAdams is dismissed will they replace him with another person who shares his views?

Just asking.

This is an interesting question. If Marquette replaces McAdams with someone who has a clearly conservative-leaning CV, it would certainly take the wind out of McAdams's argument that he was fired for his political views.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Congratulations!  I was unaware that you have the ability to only hire employees who never screw up on the job!

Can you see the future?  Is there an oracle you seek advice from?  Tell us!!!  This is what prevents us from being mindless bureaucrats!!!

A very basic background search could find if she supported, say, a terrorist on the FBI's most wanted list.

I would start by excluding people who cheer lead for the FBI's most wanted.

[muwarrior69]

But seriously, tell me why she shouldn't have been hired in the first place.  Here is her LinkedIn profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/susannah-bartlow/7/369/9a8

What about her background said that she shouldn't have been hired at Marquette?

Well she can add that she was fired from MU for poor decision making to her linkedIn account.   NOT!

[StillAWarrior]

We get in the national news for school screw ups every six months. This person is an idiot who should have never been hired in the first place. That's how you prevent stuff like this.

For the record, aside from the decision to rescind the offer to to O'Brien (which I recall hearing of once), I don't think I've ever heard of any of these other issues outside Scoop.  I'll grant that my news consumption might be less than many others, but I don't think it's entirely atypical.  A couple passing mentions by the 24/7 news machine doesn't really have much of an impact, I don't think.

[warriorchick]

A very basic background search could find if she supported, say, a terrorist on the FBI's most wanted list.

I would start by excluding people who cheerlead for the FBI's most wanted.

Really?  Sign me up for that.  The basic background search I run for my employees only tells me if they have a criminal record or not. I am obviously being shortchanged.

[Badgerhater]

How about MU look through their collection of these organizations and get rid of them or merge them.   Perhaps save some money to keep tuition in check or better fund actual academic programs.

[Benny B]

But seriously, tell me why she shouldn't have been hired in the first place.  Here is her LinkedIn profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/susannah-bartlow/7/369/9a8

What about her background said that she shouldn't have been hired at Marquette?

It took her 8 years to get a PhD in Women's Studies.  Hell, Heisenberg could probably get his in under six.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

So, to recap, a small group of students, with a member of the faculty, commissioned a controversial mural in a rarely seen office in the student union.   It went unnoticed for a few weeks.   When it was finally brought to the attention of the top levels of administration, the mural was painted over and the faculty member fired.    

And some people continue to get their knickers in a twist.  To borrow from one of my favorite bands, Great Big Sea,   "let it go, let it go, this is smaller than you know.   It's no bigger than a pebble lying on a gravel road."

It appears that some of you just aren't happy unless you are faux-raged about something.    

Tower we're going to have to talk.  The wife and I are fans of Great Big Sea also.  We got introduced by now friends from Ontario.  (There's a lengthy story behind this.) 
I've seen them live a few times including a spirited Canada Day performance in Central Park.

[jsglow]

I see they fired the head of the Gender and Sexuality Center. My concern is will her replacement be any better as they will likely hire someone with a similar view.

If McAdams is dismissed will they replace him with another person who shares his views?

Just asking.

Let me try to answer that as best as I can.  I think it's fair to question the Center which was certainly initially set up in response to the O'Brien misstep where an incomplete vetting into her writings ultimately resulted in Fr. Wild personally nixing her hire.  From all I know, that decision was responded to with grace and dignity by Dr. O'Brien.  Unfortunately as is often the case, the 'cure' associated with the creation of the Center caused its own ripple effect.  While many would see its goals of inclusion and acceptance as laudable and totally in keeping with the broader MU mission, it allowed itself to morph into a hotbed of extreme radical thought under the former director.  Clearly in the opinion of all leadership that I know, this most recent episode crossed the line and prompt action was taken.  I'd anticipate that the next director would also be a progressive.  It's the nature of the field.  But let's distinguish such a person from a militant radical.  Differing viewpoints benefit us all.

As to the McAdams firing, I'll go back to Marquette's core rational.  Instead of dealing with the matter involving the former TA privately through channels, he took to the public to express his viewpoint.  And that was deemed a violation of his employment agreement with the university.  Funny, when I had John back in the day (multiple times), I thought him to be a Kennedy democrat while I was a Reagan republican.  Somehow we put all that aside and learning happened through challenging and enlightening discussion.  I hope whoever replaces him can foster that same quest for truth we seem to have lost these days on campus.  Wouldn't it be refreshing to actually expand one's mind?

I'll pose one other point.  If McAdams was truly a Marquette man, I'd think he would have brought the Center's overstep quietly to Senior Leadership where the same chain of events regarding the mural removal and director termination would have likely occurred behind closed doors and not on Charlie Sykes or Fox & Friends.  But no, he had to continue his bombastic pattern on the most sacred weekend of the year detracting from the graduation experience for the Class of 2015 (even our pal Chitown).  How many other times in the past has he been reprimanded for this to the point where MU felt the need to begin termination proceedings?  Makes him a grade one A-hole in my book.

[chapman]

How about MU look through their collection of these organizations and get rid of them or merge them.   Perhaps save some money to keep tuition in check or better fund actual academic programs.

While cutting these organizations for cost is another topic, they do need to act on the bold (and hopefully are now).  They need to know how their resources are being utilized.  Not noticing this for seven weeks because they let a group operate in an obscure location of the AMU is poor oversight.

[Benny B]

I'll pose one other point.  If McAdams was truly a Marquette man, I'd think he would have brought the Center's overstep quietly to Senior Leadership where the same chain of events regarding the mural removal and director termination would have likely occurred behind closed doors and not on Charlie Sykes or Fox & Friends.  But no, he had to continue his bombastic pattern on the most sacred weekend of the year detracting from the graduation experience for the Class of 2015 (even our pal Chitown).  How many other times in the past has he been reprimanded for this to the point where MU felt the need to begin termination proceedings?  Makes him a grade one A-hole in my book.

While, in isolation, I do not share the outrage of others regarding the TA incident, I think I have to invoke the Brady Doctrine here by saying it's more probable than not that McAdams sat on this until graduation weekend, and for that, I agree with the Grade 1 A-hole award.

If McAdams was really concerned with principle, or the reputation of the University for that matter, he should have anonymously leaked this and let Sykes or Fox News run with it.  Even in the Yahoo! front page story, the article is tagged with McAdams' name, which is great for his own notoriety, but seems to detract from the message of the incident itself, not to mention, gives his "story" more exposure than it deserves with the general public.

[warriorchick]

While, in isolation, I do not share the outrage of others regarding the TA incident, I think I have to invoke the Brady Doctrine here by saying it's more probable than not that McAdams sat on this until graduation weekend, and for that, I agree with the Grade 1 A-hole award.

If McAdams was really concerned with principle, or the reputation of the University for that matter, he should have anonymously leaked this and let Sykes or Fox News run with it. 

Or he could have notified the administration directly, even if it was only to point out to them their alleged hypocrisy.  I don't have any reason to believe that Marquette would have handled this matter differently if the story never went beyond campus boundaries, other than they may have taken a little more time to make their decisions.

[Warriorfish]

Gotta laugh at those who think McAdams should have gone quietly to the same administration that is trying to fire him and report the mural to save them from this humiliation.  With the way MU has harassed him throughout the years, that was never an option.

BTW, McAdams job situation will remain in limbo until the fall when hearings resume.  He most certainly has not been officially "fired" yet.  

[jsglow]

Gotta laugh at those who think McAdams should have gone quietly to the same administration that is trying to fire him and report the mural to save them from this humiliation.  With the way MU has harassed him throughout the years, that was never an option.

BTW, McAdams job situation will remain in limbo until the fall when hearings resume.  He most certainly has not been officially "fired" yet.  

Thanks Johnny Mac.   

[muwarrior69]

 I hope whoever replaces him can foster that same quest for truth we seem to have lost these days on campus.  Wouldn't it be refreshing to actually expand one's mind.

I agree, diversity of thought and ideas should be the goal of any University. Unfortunately, I don't see it especially for those of us with more traditional views. What is even more troubling to me is that many Departments hire people who think like they do to further their academic agenda. To me that is indoctrination and not education where opposing thought and ideas should be civilly debated. My daughter gave me this book as an early Father Day's gift. Interesting read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Silencing-Left-Killing-Speech/dp/1621573702