A surprising number of us do … but we live in a state where the Legislature convenes special sessions to nullify voter propositions and ban city ordinances that don’t toe the party line. It’s a bizarre place to live, and I can’t wait to GTFO to just about anywhere else.
The chancellor was texting about her to the lt gov’s chief of staff, as per the article. That’s fairly damming – there’s no legitimate reason for the lt gov to get involved with a university professor.
There’s also no legitimate reason an opioid expert should be weighing in on political topics in a lecture. That’s not what the people taking her course payed for.
I’m as left as they get- but I’d be pissed too if she was lecturing on political bias. And that’s IF she even was.
If you read the guardian article, students barely remembered the lt gov being mentioned, and it was in the context of medicine, which the lt gov has made a habit of inserting himself into.
Also: A professor criticizing an elected official wrt their specialty is how the system is supposed to work. Experts ought to call out bullshit when they see it. An elected official using their office to silence that critique is gross at best and unworthy of our democratic ideals
I’m not even necessarily on the other side of whatever argument you want to make. I just was pointing out that it didn’t make sense. I am also not going to put words in your mouth and try and extrapolate what you truly meant.
No, this is false. That way lies fascism. Anyone with expertise, academics included, has a responsibility to call out elected officials who are acting badly or advocating bad policies.
Elected officials have a responsibility to the people, one of which is to not punish private citizens for speaking their mind.
I mean holy fuck. Abuse of power doesn’t get much more obvious then this.
Many many disciplines in academia discuss current events, society and politics. Universities (and those they educate) provide valuable research and data that governments should use to help guide their decisions and policymaking.
Also, in a free society government shouldn’t be able to crack down on academics (or anyone) for being critical. Thats is free and healthy democratic society 101.
Second, in this case, it was an expert on the opioid crisis pointing out that the lt. governor had made policies that made it harder for people with opioid addiction to get help or be safe without being prosecuted. And that naturally this had the effect of people not pursuing treatment that could potentially land them in legal trouble. She wasn’t commenting on the personal life of Dan Patrick, she was commenting on his policies and the consequences of those policies on a subject that was the topic of her lecture and her field of research.
I think that some (most) professors have far too much leeway and impunity to do almost whatever they want, which can and has created many issues within higher education. I also think that topic should be talked about far more than it is. But if you can’t see the issue with this story, I don’t know what to tell you.
Texas has policies regarding opioids, its treatment of people with addiction and it’s enforcement of drug laws that directly contribute to the crisis. For example, Lt. governor Dan Patrick is responsible for laws that remove protections for people seeking help with addiction, which naturally results in fewer people seeking help. His office is currently stalling a bill (that passed in the Texas House) to declassify fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia. These decisions obviously have an impact on the opioid crisis, which was the topic of her lecture.
From the article:
According to one student who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the school, some students wondered if it was when Alonzo said that the lieutenant governor’s office was one of the reasons it’s hard for drug users to access certain care for opioid addiction or overdoses.
A second student who also asked to remain anonymous for the same reason said Alonzo made a comment that the lieutenant governor’s office had opposed policies that could have prevented opioid-related deaths, and by doing so had allowed people to die.
A third student who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Alonzo talked about how policies, like the state’s ban on fentanyl test strips, have a direct impact on the ability to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths. A push to legalize the test strips died earlier this year in the Patrick-led Senate despite support from top Republicans, including Abbott.
Much of research is supposed to inform the public about issues and risks that we face as a society and examine the effects of decisions, including political decisions.
The freedom to criticize our leadership is cherished. This professor should never have been suspended for legitimate and legally protected behavior. I hope she seeks legal remediation for this.
The fact that this actually acknowledges that room and board and textbooks has to be included for it to be truly free and accessible to the recipients is incredible. Wonderful news!
Including room and board and books. A foster youth exiting high school or aging out of the system can now depend on four years of housing in exchange for getting an education. Fucking awesome, and why I’m proud to be a Californian.
No place is perfect. There are many places doing better, but they have gone through all the other cycles of shittery, and have landed on better. I have hopes for the west coast.
Children and teens in foster care across California will be able to attend state and community colleges free of charge under legislation signed into law this week.
Through the new Fostering Futures program, the state will allocate $25 million to cover tuition for foster youth attending a California State University, University of California or a community college, according to state Sen. Angelique Ashby’s office.
I hope that the main takeaway from people here is not to cut funding/grants to farms, but rather to revise them as the article states in order to incentivize growing healthier food options.
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