• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

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.