Latest Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution

You anti-IDers have a lot hanging on a well-off young man who eagerly chose to spend five uncomfortable years at close quarters with a madman without the company of the County girls in their bonnets and crinolines.

LSU FACULTY SENATE AFFIRM ACADEMIC FREEDOM & BIOLOGY COLLEAGUES
(Adventist Today, January 29th, 2010)

The Faculty Senate of La Sierra University (LSU) has unanimously approved a resolution that affirmed faculty commitment to the "preservation of academic freedom with intellectual and moral integrity in the context of our heritage, and service as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian University." It issued this declaration in the context of their "strong support for our colleagues in the Department of Biology."

In the preamble to the resolution the LSU Faculty Senate noted the activities of "certain off-campus persons" who "have publicly attacked, and circulated a petition against, the faculty of this department for including in their classes the evolutionary aspects of the modern biosciences [and] have attempted to dictate to the University-including its administration, trustees, and faculty-the content of aspects of the bioscience curriculum."

The full text of the Faculty Senate Resolution is as follows:


La Sierra University Faculty Senate Resolution

Affirmation of Support

For the Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences

Whereas the Department of Biology
has trained at the undergraduate level in the biological sciences thousands of students who have become successful professionals-physicians, dentists, and pharmacists, as well as distinguished academic scientists;
has excelled in the scholarly publication of scientific research;
is recognized for its outstanding teaching, enhancing the excellence that has long characterized La Sierra University; and
has been active in service to the community and to the church; and
Whereas certain off-campus persons
have publicly attacked, and circulated a petition against, the faculty of this department for including in their classes the evolutionary aspects of the modern biosciences;
have attempted to dictate to the University-including its administration, trustees, and faculty-the content of aspects of the bioscience curriculum;
have not followed the protocol established by Jesus and outlined in Matthew 18:15-17;
have thus made the work and lives of these dedicated Adventist professors more stressful and difficult;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Faculty Senate of La Sierra University, representing the combined faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Religion,
affirm our strong support for our colleagues in the Department of Biology;
and affirm our commitment to the preservation of academic freedom with intellectual and moral integrity in the context of our heritage, and service as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian University.

Quote:

LSU FACULTY SENATE AFFIRM ACADEMIC FREEDOM & BIOLOGY COLLEAGUES
(Adventist Today, January 29th, 2010)

The Faculty Senate of La Sierra University (LSU) has unanimously approved a resolution that affirmed faculty commitment to the "preservation of academic freedom with intellectual and moral integrity in the context of our heritage, and service as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian University."

Founded in 1922, La Sierra University, formerly known as La Sierra College, is a private, co-educational Christian university located in inland Southern California in the city of Riverside, California. La Sierra University is part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education. The University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

It is private and affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

This entire "academic Freedom" bullshit, just like "teach the controversy" is based upon the same search for credibility that the Holocaust deniers want.

Editorial: We recommend Ratliff for SBOE District 9
(Dallas Morning News, February 2, 2009)

We recommend Thomas Ratliff over incumbent Don McLeroy in the Republican primary for the State Board of Education's District 9 for several reasons. Most important is the fact that the Mount Pleasant resident could move this board beyond its culture-war conflicts.

Unfortunately, since being appointed as chairman in 2007, the 63-year-old McLeroy has helped lead the board into skirmishes involving evolution, reading standards and social studies content. The panel even got bogged down debating hip-hop versus country music. The rancor grew so routine that the Texas Senate last year refused to confirm the Bryan dentist as chairman.

McLeroy, a board member since 1999, undoubtedly cares about education. But this panel could use Ratliff's more practical approach to keep its work focused on essential issues. He's not an ideological brawler and could develop consensus.

Ratliff has had experience doing just that while serving on boards at his children's public schools in East Texas. And he says he would listen to teachers and superintendents in determining what students should know. Setting standards is a key function of this board, and Ratliff, 42, would be more in touch with educators than McLeroy. While Ratliff shouldn't become their captive, Texans are better served by someone who takes teachers' points of view seriously in crafting curriculum.

We also prefer Ratliff's emphasis on depoliticizing appointments of outside advisers, including those who handle the state's sizable education funds. The board has run into problems in selecting investment advisers.

A lobbyist himself, Ratliff swears he will disassociate himself from decisions that could involve a client. He certainly kept his lobbying business at arm's length from his father, Bill Ratliff, when the Republican served as lieutenant governor in 2001.

The winner of this primary will be unopposed in the November election. Voters in this district, which runs through parts of East Texas and Collin County, would benefit from Ratliff's sensible style and approach.

We recommend Thomas Ratliff over incumbent Don McLeroy in the Republican primary for the State Board of Education's District 9 for several reasons. Most important is the fact that the Mount Pleasant resident could move this board beyond its culture-war conflicts.

Unfortunately, since being appointed as chairman in 2007, the 63-year-old McLeroy has helped lead the board into skirmishes involving evolution, reading standards and social studies content.

The panel even got bogged down debating hip-hop versus country music.

The rancor grew so routine that the Texas Senate last year refused to confirm the Bryan dentist as chairman.

But this panel could use Ratliff's more practical approach to keep its work focused on essential issues. He's not an ideological brawler and could develop consensus.

Ratliff has had experience doing just that while serving on boards at his children's public schools in East Texas. And he says he would listen to teachers and superintendents in determining what students should know. Setting standards is a key function of this board, and Ratliff, 42, would be more in touch with educators than McLeroy. While Ratliff shouldn't become their captive, Texans are better served by someone who takes teachers' points of view seriously in crafting curriculum.

We also prefer Ratliff's emphasis on depoliticizing appointments of outside advisers, including those who handle the state's sizable education funds. The board has run into problems in selecting investment advisers.

A lobbyist himself

Ratliff swears he will disassociate himself from decisions that could involve a client. He certainly kept his lobbying business at arm's length from his father, Bill Ratliff, when the Republican served as lieutenant governor in 2001.

The winner of this primary will be unopposed in the November election. Voters in this district, which runs through parts of East Texas and Collin County, would benefit from Ratliff's sensible style and approach.

Circulation controversy
The Dallas Morning News has been accused of inflating its circulation numbers to keep advertiser revenue high. In the mid-1980s, the paper was sued by the rival Times Herald, charging that the News was overstating circulation increases. In 2004, long after the Times Herald had ceased printing, The Dallas Morning News admitted it had indeed underreported circulation decreases, and had overstated Sunday circulation by 11.9% and daily circulation by 5.1%. The Morning News promised to pay advertisers US$23 million in restitution. The circulation problems worsened parent company Belo's financial condition. In late 2004, Belo Corporation laid off 250 workers, including 150 at the Morning News. Two years later, The News offered a voluntary severance package which was taken by more than 100 staffers. The newspaper has continued to regularly lay off talented, longtime employees, most recently in October 2008 and April 2009.

In October 2009, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported that The Dallas Morning News has a circulation of 263,810 (Monday through Friday) for a six-month period ending in September 2009. That figure represented a 22 percent drop in circulation from the same six-month period in 2008. The News, once among the top 10 newspapers in America, is now the country's 19th largest newspaper, according to the Bureau of Circulations.

2010 Governor Debate Controversy
During the 2010 election year for the Texas Governorship, Dallas Morning News owned by the Belo Corp. stifled Republican candidate Debra Medina by keeping her out of their sponsored debate with K. Bailey Hutchison and Rick Perry. By the thousands, Texas voters sent e-mails and phoned Dallas Morning News and Belo to no avail. The debate will be held on January 29th 2010.