SALISBURY, N.C. — A community college instructor who was suspended for
showing "Fahrenheit 9/11" in class the week before the presidential
election is offering no apologies and says he was unfairly punished.Davis March showed the Michael Moore documentary critical of President
Bush to his film class. Administrators pulled the plug on the movie
with about 20 minutes left when March tried to show it to English
composition students."This story is now about academic freedom . . . the movie is ancient
history," said March, who served a four-day suspension and returned
Nov. 2 to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, about 45 miles northeast of
Charlotte.School officials said March disobeyed orders by refusing to meet with
administrators before showing the film, but March said no instruction
to seek permission had been issued
Silly me, I though school was about learning,and facts, and truth, not pushing your personal political agenda to your students. Especially when you were a. told not to do it, and b. no opposing view. No matter what the left says, and I have many friends who bought into the whole thing, it is not factual (it is also copyright encrypted. I tried to do a copy with Nero, and it said "NO! Don’t even try that, evil right wing bastard, you). Rules are rules. Regulations are regulations.
One dated Oct. 25 stated that college employees may not use "the
classroom or college environment as a platform to promote their own
personal, religious, or political views, or to advocate for specific
political candidates."Hovey said March asked school officials in August if he could send out
fliers promoting a screening of Moore’s movie. The school rejected that
request.
This isn’t making your students read Shakespeare. This was English Composition. Did they want to watch the movie? Let’s look at it some more. Was it legal? Fat Mike may say that it is OK to show it, but did March have permission from Sony or Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment? There is a disclaimer about "unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, videotapes, or videodisks."
There is a right time and place for everything. This was not the right time and place. My BA is in Political Science/Psychology. While, in retrospect, I believe know that many of my teachers/professors influenced much of my thoughts and political leanings (for instance, one was very much into small government, Defense, and strongly pro environment), I cannot envision any of them even going and showing both F9/11 and FahrenHYPE 9/11.
Cross posted without spin at the Command Post Election 2004, sans spin.
Update, 11/30/04: I have been taking a look at some of the other articles on Mr. March, and most say the exact same thing. However, in fairness to Mr. March, this one from the Ka Leo O Hawaii is longer and deeper then the other articles, and includes more discussion and quotes from not only Mr. March, but other members of the faculty of RCCC, and students, including:
"If
that student is dependent on that professor for a grade, what is he to
do?" Newberry asked. March said he acts more as a moderator, because
often students disagree with each other."I
make it abundantly clear that their opinion, whether it agrees with
`Dad’ or not, it’s not going to cost them either way," he said.He
has shown potentially divisive films in class before, such as "Dead Man
Walking," about a nun who reaches out to a convicted murderer on death
row.After
showing that movie, he said, he asked his students: "Did you find your
perspective (on the death penalty) altered by this?""His
classes have always been designed
to open up our minds," said student Kristen Pitel, 21. "He is one to
drop a bomb in the water and see where the fish go."
