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In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

theguardian.com

31–40 of 248 posts

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#31
post #4
post #2

And is the UK government behind the erosion of free speech identified at a large number of institutions who have banned and actively censored ideas on campus? Shall we assume they are helpless in the face of demands from Whitehall? http://www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings

I have a few issues with that link. Namely that a traffic light system is a huge, huge , HUGE oversimplification of complex issues. While the analysis seems fairly transparent, I don't think many people will actually look into it past the traffic light. I checked out the uni I went to: apparently the students union got an amber light because of "no tolerance to sexual harassment". How exactly does that violate free s…

That particular xkcd gets linked a lot in this debate. I really wonder what happened between when the author drew that comic and when he drew this one: https://www.xkcd.com/137/

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#32
post #27

There's also the issue of what has happened now that students have to pay through the nose for courses. They are now customers who expect high grades for their fees. This has certainly changed the dynamic with regard to rigorous marking in some areas

Another point is that immigration of qualified worker is the one that is not only accepted, but seen as desirable. Universities are selling something for 45,000 GBP that is available for free or much cheaper in other countries and readily accessible to employers. At some point Universities need to give students their money worth in some form or another.

Ironically UK university education is something of an export industry: there are a lot of people from non-Western countries who come here and pay full fees for the degrees because of their prestige. The government's gradual tightening of immigration policy is making this less viable.

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#33
post #5

It would be nice to see some STEM-affirmative universities without any x-studies leaching. Professional complainer is a viable career path these days and it starts at uni.

Ugh, that's dystopian. There's bullshit on both sides of the university (stem and humanities). They're symbiotic and they need each other and the world desperately needs more people skilled in both.

Stephen Hawking doesn't become Stephen Hawking without an awareness and understanding of the humanities.

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#34
post #4
post #2

And is the UK government behind the erosion of free speech identified at a large number of institutions who have banned and actively censored ideas on campus? Shall we assume they are helpless in the face of demands from Whitehall? http://www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings

I have a few issues with that link. Namely that a traffic light system is a huge, huge , HUGE oversimplification of complex issues. While the analysis seems fairly transparent, I don't think many people will actually look into it past the traffic light. I checked out the uni I went to: apparently the students union got an amber light because of "no tolerance to sexual harassment". How exactly does that violate free s…

Define "sexual", define "harassment".

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#36
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Listening to Jonathan Haidt its pretty scary stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IBegL_V6AA

Listening to Jonathan Haidt its pretty scary stuff. Don't listen to it then. By the way the, UK isn't the same as the US, our problems aren't necessarily the same as yours.

Ignorance is bliss.

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#37
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all of West has it this way. US and UK yes, but rest of EU mostly has free college in same or higher quality.

Scotland is nowhere near as bad as the rest of the UK although you have to have put up with their dreary weather for three years before attending.

EU residents can also study in Scotland for free. It is only England, Wales and NI who have to pay the full fees.

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#38
post #20

It's very disingenuous of the author not to mention free speech issues, the massive administrations that are run by radical left-leaning activists essentially, and pseudoscience like gender studies or gender studies. I agree otherwise

> the massive administrations that are run by radical left-leaning activists essentially Name one of these people and provide an example [2 marks]

Account created 7 months ago.... Sigh.

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#39
post #6
post #2

And is the UK government behind the erosion of free speech identified at a large number of institutions who have banned and actively censored ideas on campus? Shall we assume they are helpless in the face of demands from Whitehall? http://www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings

Yes, the UK government is behind the erosion of free speech on campus. The Counter Terrorism and Security Act of 2015 imposes a statutory duty on universities to have a "due regard to the need to prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism". This means that institutions now have a statutory duty to participate in the government's Prevent strategy. This means UK universities have a legal obligation to narc on…

what is a preferable way to handle what you call "violent radicalism"? If the rule is only targeted at those who are drawn into beliefs that would see those individuals commit violent acts, what makes reporting them bigoted compared to reporting other violent groups?

Re: In UK universities there is a daily erosion of integrity

#40
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Listening to Jonathan Haidt its pretty scary stuff. Don't listen to it then. By the way the, UK isn't the same as the US, our problems aren't necessarily the same as yours.

Ignorance is bliss.

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