Loading ...
Last week, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau issued a letter skirting around the icky-ness of Proposition 8. But some students aren’t so happy about the chancellor meddling in such affairs.
If passed, the proposition would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples and, as Birgeneau argued, would undermine Berkeley principles. Birgeneau did not outright stump against the proposition, but he concluded his letter with:
Although you must judge for yourselves how to vote, as you consider your ballot on November 4, 2008, I would urge you to take into account the impacts that passage of Proposition 8 would have on our campus community.
Today’s Daily Cal article speaks to the response Birgeneau’s letter received, specifically of its opponents … who weigh in at one person?
Josh Curtis, president of Berkeley College Republicans, represented the angered side. He argued:
Centers of learning should be places for learning … schools should teach not what to do when it comes to politics, but it should provide the tools for students to figure it out.
And keep your damn inclusive policies out of my backyard!
Image Source: crimfants under Creative Commons
Chancellor Speaks Out On Divisive Proposition [Daily Cal]
Chancellor Birgeneau informs campus of likely impacts of Proposition 8 [NewsCenter]
Earlier: Breaking News: Universities Love to Attract Top Faculty, San Francisco Supports Equality
Comments:
Oct 27, 2008 at 11:26 pm
A public official speaking out on a public matter is more than appropriate. Are they supposed to just be robots that cant voice their opinion on important policy matters?
Oct 28, 2008 at 12:06 am
I think Manny is probably the last person to talk about public officials overstepping their bounds, but as a government agent, Bob 2.0 has a responsibility to protect the democratic system by not using the apparatus of government to take sides in an election.
Oct 28, 2008 at 5:56 pm
“I do not normally comment on blogs or anything of the like…”
hahahahahahhaUNBH(& Ht5r4t2 4y65 r..
Oct 29, 2008 at 6:08 pm
“Bob 2.0 has a responsibility to protect the democratic system by not using the apparatus of government to take sides in an election.”
Well Barry is definitely a part of the apparatus of government( Capital Hill) I say we ban him immediately and disqualify him from the election, he does not want democracy, but Marxism.
“A public official speaking out on a public matter is more than appropriate.”
Legal is legal. Let him go with his heart.
Oct 27, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Hi there. I would like to respond to the manner in which my quote has been applied and the lack of context–and in fact, the addition of false context–which was added to it.
To begin with: This post falsely assumes that I was somehow “angered” by the Chancellor’s decision to promote the anti-prop 8 campaign. This is far from the case. I am not easily moved to anger, and certainly a university official making a political statement about one issue on behalf of the university is neither offensive to me nor anger-inducing. It is merely an inappropriate realm for the Chancellor to tread.
If you had read the context of my quote, you would have discovered that I in fact do not think that Chancellor Birgeneau’s statement arguing against Proposition 8 will have any discernible effect on how UC Berkeley students vote on Proposition 8. Therefore, Chancellor Birgeneau’s statement does not matter much to me at all–except for the fact that I believe he oversteps his bounds when he attempts to tell the UC Berkeley community how to vote on a politically sensitive issue. I would be equally opposed to Mr. Birgeneau’s statement if it were for Prop 8 or against Prop 8, for Prop 11 or against Prop 11, or any other proposition for that matter. As a matter of principle, I believe that the university officials representing us should try to stay out of politics and focus on their mission at hand: to educate the future leaders of the world, not tell them how to vote.
I do not normally comment on blogs or anything of the like, but after spotting this egregious error, I deemed it appropriate to correct the false assumptions of this post. Thank you for your time, and I would greatly appreciate it if you were to revise your particular remarks I have outlined to reflect the truth.