Saturday, December 04, 2004

 

Arab Student Pushed to see Therapist by Professor After Submitting Pro-American Essay

Another great example of Academic concepts of diversity at work... I would occasionally see students who wrote adequate essays for their English exit exams get bumped into a challenge reading because they talked about some religious aspect dear to the writer's heart, and had the wrong instructors read them, and the faculty members couldn't transcend their feelings against what was usually the jargon of religious writing. But this goes further - suggesting that a person needs therapy because his political views seem different than what you think he ought to feel?

LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA –Dec 02, 2004. Yesterday, Foothill College Political-Science Professor Joseph Woolcock tried to intimidate student Ahmad Al-Qloushi into seeing a therapist because of a Pro-American essay he wrote in Woolcock's class. The thesis of Al-Qloushi's essay is that the US constitution was a very progressive document, which has contributed to freedom beyond America's borders.


One of the things students have come up with for dealing with this type of academic tyrrany is a movement towards a student's bill of rights, to protect the students from a community that is pretty much isolated and insular, and perhaps, as others have suggested, has drifted so far to one side they don't realize the true reality of what they are doing.


The Foothill College Republicans are using this opportunity to make sure that intellectual diversity is respected on campus, by lobbying to have the “Academic Bill of Rights” as an official Foothill College policy.

"This is not an isolated case," said Cori Jenab, Vice-President of Foothill College Republicans. "Foothill’s faculty has disrespected students because of their political and religious beliefs in the past."

"Intellectual diversity must be respected at Foothill College," said Ahmad Al-Qloushi. "The only way to guarantee this is to have Foothill adopt the “Academic Bill of Rights.”

The Academic Bill of Rights was drawn up by an organization called Students for Academic Freedom. In March of 2004 Presidents of Colorado’s major public Universities adopted a memorandum of understanding. It included provisions of the Academic Bill of Rights that their regulations did not already cover. The universities pledged to provide protections to students of all political viewpoints, emphasizing “Colorado’s institutions of higher education are committed to valuing and respecting diversity, including respect for diverse political viewpoints.” To learn more about the Academic Bill of Rights and Colorado's memorandum of understanding, visit http://www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org

About Us: The Foothill College Republicans are a broad-based organization for conservative, libertarian, and moderate students at Foothill Community College. FCR boasts a membership that is over 70% minority.

Cori Jenab and Ahmad Al-Qloushi are available for immediate interview.

Press Contact: Ahmad Al-Qloushi
ahmadalqloushi@sbcglobal.net

To contact the Foothill College Board of Trustees, click here.

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