Thursday, May 05, 2005
Pot, meet kettle!
In tonight's South Wales Evening Post, Swansea University's vice-chancellor is quoted as saying that students taking legal action over a suspended lecturer are damaging their department and the whole university. Philosophy students claim their education has suffered since one of their lecturers was suspended in March. But Mr Davies is denying the accusation and says the students actions are instead damaging the reputation of the university.
Given the cack-handed way with which the University authorities have gone about closing down key departments such as Philosophy and Chemistry and then sought to suppress dissent at every turn, it is a little surprising that the Vice-Chancellor thinks this way. After all, if you manage an educational establishment through conflict then you are going to get opposition and the more you seek to close down opposing views, the harder they will fight back. The damage has already been done.
Given the cack-handed way with which the University authorities have gone about closing down key departments such as Philosophy and Chemistry and then sought to suppress dissent at every turn, it is a little surprising that the Vice-Chancellor thinks this way. After all, if you manage an educational establishment through conflict then you are going to get opposition and the more you seek to close down opposing views, the harder they will fight back. The damage has already been done.
