New law requires Florida universities to survey students about their political views to promote "intellectual diversity"

[GulliverFoyle]

@zoidberg

It will be quite informative to see what FIRE’s stance will be on this.

Yes it will, especially for me as a supporter. Historically they haven’t fallen for this kind of fascist Newspeak, and take their commitment to the First Amendment rights of students and teachers seriously irrespective of ideology. Nevertheless…

Vigilance Mr. Worf. That is the price we have to continually pay.

[Drabula]

During my stint as a Midwestern university journeyman, I had the displeasure of interacting with one student government that was stacked with Reaganite young repubs. They were the only ones motivated to do it, and all their positions were so slavishly pro-admin and anti-student that it was laughable.
But then there was also a prof on campus who was (openly) the local head of the CPUSA chapter. Ahh, those were the days.
As for the ‘ideology diversity’ questionnaire, guess I’d have to mash together something like, “Post-Hegelian, Stoic, Miellassouxian” and see if that got me past these anti-intellctual goblins.

[deltaecho]

There’s gotta be something that makes this law objectionable… Like a Merst Famendant… A Thirst Commandment… A Burst Schmuhschendment… Dammit, it’s on the tip of my tongue…!

[Scientist]

@zoidberg

Faculty would presumably also be able to game a survey.

You mean I’d be able to lie about and hide my political beliefs to keep my job? Yippee!

[anon73430903]

What about Post-civilisation Kaczynski-ist anarcho-primitivism?

[anon73430903]

@Drabula

As for the ‘ideology diversity’ questionnaire, guess I’d have to mash together something like, “Post-Hegelian, Stoic, Miellassouxian” and see if that got me past these anti-intellctual goblins.

Tolstoyan Christian is another one that the Republicans will miss until they realise they have a bunch of people who believe that Jesus was an anarchist.

[generic_name]

So. . . could one lie in order to gain admission, if say, there weren’t enough conservative voices on campus?

And if you were then found to not be conservative, you could just say “learning has made me change my opinions.”

[aLynHall]

“intellectual diversity”

Woah, woah, hold up there. Let’s not go crazy. Intellectualism, in general, is off brand in this case, right?

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

@anon61221983

he’s the one assuming college students are children who need to be protected from the filthy marxists who are “indoctrinating” their precious babies… The thing to worry about here is that students are going to be denied an education and staff and faculty will end up losing their jobs for their political views.

I’m concerned that the “bring back the '50s” fans in the GOP might try to change the legal age back to 21. They managed to create a separate drinking age, right? Just think of all the young voters they could disenfranchise in the name of protecting everyone else from those ignorant, “indoctrinated” students they’ve been portraying as a huge threat…

[matman]

@zoidberg

Faculty would presumably also be able to game a survey. If Marxist U turned out to be populated entirely by John Birch Society members according to the survey… what exactly would the legislature make of that?

Maybe finally provide decent funding?

[matman]

@anon67050589

Testing them 4 years later when they graduate, or (even better) a few years out when they’ve had to endure the realities of making a living in our economy, would provide a very different balance.

Yes but that’s problematic as it usually shows how out of the mainstream the top GQP positions are.

[anon61221983]

I’m surprised no one has proposed that yet, but I bet it’s coming.

[aLynHall]

But they also want to keep military service age as young as possible as well. They know if people have to wait til 21 to join the military, well, the numbers won’t go in the direction they want.

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

@aLynHall

But they also want to keep military service age as young as possible as well.

Troops shouldn't have to wait until they're 21 to drink

They don’t seem to worry about recruitment, and the US still has Selective Service registration. I wouldn’t put it past them to separate legal age and voting age.

[tlwest]

@asdadsas

gotta loooooove “small government conservatives”

As it turns out, “small government conservatives” aren’t really viable demographic for winning elections. The majority of Republican voters tolerated it as close as they could get to what they really wanted until someone gave them what they really wanted.

Now, most small government conservatives have either left, surrendered to the inevitable to keep their paycheck, or been expelled from the Republican party.

The same thing hasn’t happened to the Democrats because the progressives (=moderates in the rest of the world) don’t represent even close to a majority of the Democratic voters (see Biden), so they lack the means to drive the party in the progressive direction and expel what passed for moderates in the US.

[LordInsidious]

Everyone just say they are conservative, mess with the data en masse

[jake0748]

Many people are saying it. Believe me folks.

[bluehenbear]

[vytautas_malesh]

Florida professor here - hi! FIU, English, proud of our institution and proud of our students.

And: holy shit!

This is not exactly the first I’m hearing about this…I think this was drafted up some time last year and people were sending me links then, and I was like “this is always happening” RE republicans trying to loyalty test academics - but yeah, this is different and extremely “chilling” which is a cute way of saying “fucking terrifying.”

Our university has not made any official statement yet, and I just checked my email.

At the university level, we on the one hand have no idea how this is going to pan out and on the other we all have read enough history to know exactly how this is going to pan out, so…holy shit. This is really happening.

No, I have not yet received my SUPER PATRIOTIC LIBERTY FREEDOM FIRST AMENDMENT PATRIOTS ATTESTATION FOR REAL PATRIOTIC AMERICANS, but I suspect it’s coming.

It’s after hours, but I’m drafting correspondence to my chair and my union reps.

[Erich_Habich-Traut]

Reminds me of the education policy in German universities in the 1930’s. It’s called Gleichschaltung.