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Regarding the Compact

president.mit.edu

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Re: Regarding the Compact

#11

Post by laidoffamazon »

hexis wrote: post #10
smrtinsert wrote: post #2

Is there any precedent in US history for what the administration is asking of the nations top universities? Incredible they have to deal with this.

Yes, the federal government of the United States has always attached conditions to federal funding.

Not like this, no, and it has never shaken down schools like it has at Columbia or Harvard.

As much as I despise these institutions and their undergrads this does nothing to punish them and everything to increase the power of this current corrupt executive.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#12

Post by laidoffamazon »

tencentshill wrote: post #7
boplicity wrote: post #3

Remember, fascism is not an ideology or philosophical idea. It is a system of government. Gaining control of academia is a core part of this system. I applaud MIT for standing up to this. I hope the other universities involved also resist. We'll see.

The nine universities include: Vanderbilt University Dartmouth College the University of Pennsylvania the University of Southern California Massachusetts Institute of Technology the University of Texas at Austin the University of Arizona Brown University the University of Virginia

I didn’t realize UA was here - even UVA and UT as more egalitarian institutions are a weird set to include.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#14

Post by magnio »

smrtinsert wrote: post #2

Is there any precedent in US history for what the administration is asking of the nations top universities? Incredible they have to deal with this.

While the current climate is not comparable, I find the actions and general attitude of the current US government similar to that during the McCarthy era.

Which led me to this very interesting article from 1965: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1965/6/17/the-university-...

In it, the author described the attacks on specific personnels and public villainification of Harvard. More tellingly though, the author wrote the article for students in the 60s, who, growing up a mere decade after, most likely considered the events "an aberration which could not have lasted", and that, "the whole [McCarthy] period has an air of unreality".

Those who did not know history are bound to repeat it. Unfortunately, no amount of textbooks and historical resources seems to be sufficient to impart lessons to subsequent generations, and we are bound to repeat it after a few cycles.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#15

Post by etchalon »

laidoffamazon wrote: post #12
tencentshill wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The nine universities include: Vanderbilt University Dartmouth College the University of Pennsylvania the University of Southern California Massachusetts Institute of Technology the University of Texas at Austin the University of Arizona Brown University the University of Virginia

I didn’t realize UA was here - even UVA and UT as more egalitarian institutions are a weird set to include.

UT is, for better or worse, still in Texas. And Texas has yet to discover a Trump/MAGA initiative it doesn't embrace.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#16

Post by etchalon »

svat wrote: post #4

Context (as I didn't know about this earlier): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_for_Academic_Excellenc... (current version: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compact_for_Acade... ). I liked the “These values and other MIT practices meet or exceed many standards outlined in the document you sent” line.

What a ridiculous document.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#17

Post by bee_rider »

laidoffamazon wrote: post #11
hexis wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the federal government of the United States has always attached conditions to federal funding.

Not like this, no, and it has never shaken down schools like it has at Columbia or Harvard. As much as I despise these institutions and their undergrads this does nothing to punish them and everything to increase the power of this current corrupt executive.

Why specifically the undergrads?

Re: Regarding the Compact

#18

Post by runako »

In a way, the overreach in the compact made this an obvious (though not easy) decision.

Obviously, an independent university cannot agree to government-mandated pricing or censorship of faculty members. Similarly, government intrusion into grading practices and proactively threatening to use "lawful force" against minors are immediately off the table.

That's all aside from the practicality of ongoing assessment, which would likely require something akin to commissars to monitor speech and discussions around grading.

The universities are fortunate the administration is not more subtle.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#19

Post by runako »

tencentshill wrote: post #7
boplicity wrote: post #3

Remember, fascism is not an ideology or philosophical idea. It is a system of government. Gaining control of academia is a core part of this system. I applaud MIT for standing up to this. I hope the other universities involved also resist. We'll see.

The nine universities include: Vanderbilt University Dartmouth College the University of Pennsylvania the University of Southern California Massachusetts Institute of Technology the University of Texas at Austin the University of Arizona Brown University the University of Virginia

This is a motley list. I am guessing the criteria for inclusion was an administration staffer (or their offspring) was not able to secure admission.

Re: Regarding the Compact

#20

Post by [deleted] »

bee_rider wrote: post #17
laidoffamazon wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not like this, no, and it has never shaken down schools like it has at Columbia or Harvard. As much as I despise these institutions and their undergrads this does nothing to punish them and everything to increase the power of this current corrupt executive.

Why specifically the undergrads?

[deleted]
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