NC GOP Destroying University

Professor Gene Nichol's beautifully written statement needs to be heard by all. The NC GOP is destroying our beloved University of North Carolina. Blatantly. Unapologetically. Ignorantly. Arrogantly.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/02/27/4587459/gene-nichols-statement-on-closing.html

GOP Eliminates Criticism

thepaulaticsblog - 2/18/15

Today, the UNC Board Committee on Stopping Criticism of the GOP Legislature and Governor recommended that the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity be eliminated. Not a surprise, but an outrage nonetheless. After meeting for months, “The panel’s chairman, Jim Holmes, called the review a thorough and legitimate exercise that resulted in less than 1 percent of centers being recommended for closure.”

Professor Gene Nichol, Director of the Center sees it differently and left no doubt as to the goal of the Committee when he said in response, “The Board of Governors’ tedious, expensive and supremely dishonest review process yields the result it sought all along – closing the Poverty Center. This charade, and the censorship it triggers, demeans the board, the university, academic freedom and the Constitution.”

Last week, John Hood, president of the John W. Pope Foundation, told a Charlotte paper his thoughts on the reasons for the threat, "There's a bright line between expressing opinions of your expertise and engaging in advocacy. Nichol goes far beyond the causes and solutions of poverty to personally criticize elected officials in ways that aren't academic."

Would John Hood, a visible face and prolific mouthpiece of the massive Art Pope radical, extreme, conservative nonprofit empire for over two decades, have us believe that he does not engage in advocacy? That is certainly what I call this handy brochure that was delivered to every legislator in 2011 by the then Hood-led John Locke Foundation: THE FIRST 100 DAYS: Eleven Action Items for the 2011 Legislative Session.

Make no mistake; the GOP is dead set on tearing down the first public institution of higher education in the country, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is not just some political inside baseball that most of us can ignore. Academic freedom is being destroyed. Academic quality is being compromised. I speak especially to Tar Heel alumni when I say that Art Pope and his money aim to run our precious UNC. Unfortunately, he is well on his way to running it into the ground.

We Don't Need No Clean Hands

Dear Sen. Tillis,

Your comments regarding government regulations vis-a-vis voluntary hand washing in restaurants illustrates to me that your robotic ideological views lack any wisdom whatsoever. What you lack in curiosity and intelligence, however, is more than made up by the outsized arrogance. 

Watch this video: http://www.dailykos.com

Social Rules and Thank-You Notes

"Social rituals are a necessary evil. In the public arena, send thank-you notes and make the necessary conciliatory noises."

The above resignation appeared as my horoscope today. Ironically, I just finished writing a few dozen thank-you notes to friends and professional colleagues. This ritual is far from evil. Indeed, it is my pleasure. When I receive a personal note in the U.S. mail among the endless catalogs, coupons and bills, It brings a smile to my face. 

As a radical feminist who kept my birth name after my 1977 marriage, attended the very first National Women's Studies Association convention, volunteered at rape crisis centers, and saw to it that the U.S. Treasury include "Ms" as an identifier for women purchasing U.S. Savings Bonds, it feels odd to say it. But, I am a stickler for manners and norms that some may label old-fashioned. 

If asked, my former interns and students would enumerate "Wolf's Rules" for working at the Legislature and beyond. Here a just a few.

-Dress for the part. In a professional setting, when one is trying to be heard and taken seriously, women should not wear open-toed shoes, short skirts or long necklines. Men should wear a coat and tie and socks in all seasons.

-Learn to communicate. Writing skill, including knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation, is sine qua non for success in any field. Speaking and the ability to think on one's feet will take you far. Practice. 

-Relationships are everything. Congratulate, encourage, sympathize, recognize and acknowledge actions, both large and small. 

-Listen and learn. The General Assembly did not start with you. Listen to stories about the players, political history and legislation. Seek out a mentor with experience.