On Sun, 8 Oct 1995, Mieke Koppen Tucker wrote:
> Marcy, did you ever take this student aside and explain to him that
> his views were not acceptable indeed illegal if acted upon in
> contemporary North American or western society? (This is not the
> case with your anti-gun-control student).
Mieke, no, I didn't, chiefly because I never had any indication
that he was going to act on his views, nor was his expression of them
approaching illegal. He never threatened anyone directly, for example.
I also want to point out that I agree with Rick that we have the
obligation, as certifiers, to decide who gets certified and who doesn't.
Maybe it's just my propensity for mental anguish, but I don't think
that's an obligation we fulfill lightly (and I'm not suggesting that Rick
thinks so, either, btw); I think that whenever we're faced with a situation
where we decide not to certify, we need to look long & hard at the
circumstances and try to figure out what principles (or prejudices
masquerading as principles) we're acting on. Maybe that's just
rationalization . . . but for me, it's necessary, anyway.
Marcy
(And Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.)
Marcy Bauman
Writing Program
University of Michigan-Dearborn
4901 Evergreen Rd.
Dearborn, MI 48128
email: [log in to unmask]
