Editorial: Serious debate a good end to silly scandal

Now that Andrew Jones and his “Dirty Thirty” list
are no longer the topic of the hour, the substantive discussions
concerning the real issues at hand ““ those of academic
freedom and the role of professors in our larger society ““
have begun to take the spotlight.

Following this line of thought, some of the professors featured
on Jones’ Web site staged a “teach-in” Tuesday
night in Dodd Hall.

Using the concerns prompted by the list as a starting point,
they discussed pedagogy and the function they should serve for the
greater community through the institution of free and critical
thinking: namely, the university. In turn, this teach-in has
prompted another forum, which will be hosted next week by the
Academic Senate.

It is such displays of intellectual discussion and debate that
exemplify what higher education should be, and how it will
systematically neutralize threats to academic freedom ““ a
concept Jones would have done well to consider further before
publishing his list.

“We’re not endangered,” Professor Ellen DuBois
said in response to a student during the Q-and-A session. She went
on to call upon students to speak their own best interests.

And so the students of this editorial board say we’re glad
to see thoughtful, productive debate finally coming out of a
scandal so silly.