free speech not likely coming to Cal Poly

Cal Poly never changes
"Gosh, it's very hard to put the genie back into the bottle!"

Cal Poly State University is about to select a new President and there are three candidates. (for reference, here’s what  Lou Dobbs of CNN said about the last president)

Actually, the truth is in the details, a select committee from a variety of interests outside of the purview of much of the university and the community did the selection and whittled the short list down to three people of which little is publicly known of them. Searching the candidates for on-line information gives little insight.

However, one of the issues that has plagued the university warranting national attention has been it’s treatment of students. In my opinion, Free speech and other first amendment violations are among the most egregious.

Baring any clarifying statements of the candidates, it might be safe to look at the F.I.R.E. rankings ( Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) of the universities whence the candidates come. This might not be an accurate reflection of any of the candidatel’s personal attitudes, but it does give an insight into their campus climate.

Here are the three universities and their rankings and links to their stories:

University of Cincinnati — RED LIGHT

Wright State — RED LIGHT

Boise State — unranked but with comments

At a minimum, I think these three candidates need a few more questions about what kind of climate they intend to foster for the students and faculty at Cal Poly. However, it sounds to me like 30 years of more of the same.

PS. if you are curious about the picture above, click on the picture and read about some of the past controversies