Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Idoctrination U

U of Delaware just closed down a student indoctrination program.

After an intense campaign led by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the University of Delaware has dropped an ideological reeducation program that was referred to in the university’s own materials as a “treatment” for students’ incorrect attitudes and beliefs. The program’s stated goal was for the approximately 7,000 students in Delaware’s residence halls to adopt highly specific university-approved views on politics, race, sexuality, sociology, moral philosophy, and environmentalism. Following FIRE’s campaign, which called the attention of the national media and the blogosphere to the Orwellian program, university President Patrick Harker terminated the program, effective immediately.

I started my freshman year at RU as a 28-year-old Staff Sergeant in the NJ Air Guard. I'd like to see how some 19-year-old RA is going to ask me about my personal business during our one-on-one session. Not only did half the dorm think I was in Vietnam, but I came to RU with all kinds of crazy ideas, like Jesus of Nazareth rising from the dead and being the Savior of the world - outrageous stuff like that.

And I was the Fly's RA during his freshman year. Fly, you were barely 17 back then, could you imagine me sitting you down one-on-one and asking you about when you discovered your sexual identity? You'ed probably think I was some perv.

And as an RA, do you think I'm going to want to sit students down and quiz them about their hormonal urges? I had enough problems with the Palace Boys.

The Fly was in good hands his freshman year. He had a roommate who shared with me those crazy ideas about that Jesus guy. And he had an RA who wasn't a total screw-up.

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