[Curtman]

FieryVulpine FieryVulpine:

What is the big deal about anyway? That honorary degree is going to hang on Toews' wall and no one is even going to give a flip about it in five years' time. Heaven knows I don't care about who has an honorary degree from the university I attend. (Well, other than my great-grandfather, but it was a long time ago so I only think about it occasionally at best.)

Well I can understand how someone who worked hard through school and earned top marks who finally succeeded at the top of their class might be a little upset about a sleazball like him waltzing in to collect his wall-hanger diploma.

[bootlegga]

Lemmy Lemmy:

Well who are these leftists? Sociology professors? Law professors? English literature professors? Maybe. Economics professors? Science professors? Engineering professors? Nope. I think you're seeing a vocal minority and concluding that it represents the majority (both students and professors). U of Guelph has a "tree-hugger" reputation, but again, that's a minority on our campus. The majority of students and faculty are either science/engineering types. I did my MA at Western and that's certainly NOT a leftist campus. It's largely blue-blood, silver spoon, old money, secret handshake types...defintely not leftist.

I'll second that, that it is the VOCAL minority that tends to do such things, not the majority of university students. Most students just want to graduate and get a good job and don't care all that much about politics until later in life. I'd add the caveat that while some departments may generally swing left/right, it isn't a hard and fast rule. I had a History prof who was from Germany and hard core right wing, labelling textbooks as leftist/socialist with great regularity.

But I agree that certain programs attract certain types of people. Almost every engineer/economist/business major I know votes Conservative, while those I know who majored in sociology/pyschology lean more left.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

andyt andyt:

I wouldn't take a women's studies course because I would expect it to be totally biased with no free speech allowed in the class room.

I can only imagine. Hell, I took a family studies class in Gr.13 and a male point of view wasn't particularily welcome.

[fifeboy]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Isn't free speech a wonderful thing?

Yeah, they should have picked another valedictorian

When you are valedictorian, which is quite an honour, ya gets to make the speech. Nobody tells ya what to say!

[Gunnair]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Free speech that dares to stray from the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated.

Groupthink at it's best is alive and flourishing on our university campuses.

Free speech that dares to stray towards the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated... here.

[Gunnair]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Isn't free speech a wonderful thing?

Yes it is.

[Freakinoldguy]

kenmore kenmore:

I say Bravo! to her.. She said it like it is and he certainly did not deserve a honorary degree. Lets face it Toews is an Ahole. Spouting politics of fear where ever he goes. Bravo! We need more people like her who stand up for her beliefs.
Honorary degree for Toews.. what a load of old shit!

I Concur. All Honorary Degrees are a load of shit, including the ones people like Chreten, Martin, and Trudeau received.

[Public_Domain]

[EyeBrock]

Gunnair Gunnair:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Free speech that dares to stray from the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated.

Groupthink at it's best is alive and flourishing on our university campuses.

Free speech that dares to stray towards the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated... here.

It's challenged Gunny, which is different than 'tolerating'. Out in the world none of this stuff gets challenged or debated, it's just 'tolerated'.

Tolerance means we are just putting up with it and that's the way it is in mainstream Canada.

We are just 'putting up' with things we don't agree with because the climate of debate isn't healthy enough for us to discuss issues without being labelled one thing or another. That goes for left, right and centre.

[Gunnair]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Gunnair Gunnair:

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Free speech that dares to stray from the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated.

Groupthink at it's best is alive and flourishing on our university campuses.

Free speech that dares to stray towards the leftist principles of the campus is not tolerated... here.

It's challenged Gunny, which is different than 'tolerating'. Out in the world none of this stuff gets challenged or debated, it's just 'tolerated'.

Tolerance means we are just putting up with it and that's the way it is in mainstream Canada.

We are just 'putting up' with things we don't agree with because the climate of debate isn't healthy enough for us to discuss issues without being labelled one thing or another. That goes for left, right and centre.

When I went to university it was very leftist and being a military fella made it sometimes challanging, sometimes confrontational. But I had my say and it was tolerated. I was challanged as often as I challanged. The majority may be left, but as far as tolerance goes, they were no better or worse than anyone else.

Frankly, what I see on these forums is no different than what I see the same people accusing universities of. Additionally, all these judegments are made based on the actions of a few. The universities in general are judged, and I doubt there are many here who have any recent experience outside of reading the news, on what is going on on campuses these days.

[ShepherdsDog]

How far are you from a degree? A commission gets you better pay/pension. I knew a couple CPOs who did that just before retirement.

[EyeBrock]

All I go on is recent interactions at GTA universities. I'm sure that other uni's are not as radical or activist as the U of T etc......

[Curtman]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

I Concur. All Honorary Degrees are a load of shit, including the ones people like Chreten, Martin, and Trudeau received.

But did they receive a doctorate in law from a university that doesn't even have an undergraduate law program?

[Mustang1]

Lemmy Lemmy:

My experience is that there is a small, often vocal, leftist, protest-type element on campus, but they're a minority. Most of the students I see in an economics department are little Alex P. Keaton wannabees. I don't think university campuses are any more leftist than any other place in society. Perception is often myth.

Exactly. "Vocal" being the operative word because most Ontario universities are actually apolitical unless, of course, it's an issue that's been deemed "newsworthy" and then it's the loudest, shrillest, most contentious sound bytes that get presented.

[Mustang1]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

All I go on is recent interactions at GTA universities. I'm sure that other uni's are not as radical or activist as the U of T etc......

U of T "radical"?!? What? I think you're just seeing the vocal ones, because as universities go, this one ain't "radical".