Professor bans students from thanking God at graduation ceremony

[ArcadiaGP]

Professor Bans Students From Thanking God At Graduation Ceremony : News : University Herald

" You can't thank God. I'm sorry about this - and I don't want to have to outline the reasons why."

Hvastkovs told Campus Reform he sent the email banning giving thanks to God after too many students recognized religious figures during last year's event.

"It's not a religious ceremony," Hvastkovs said. "it's purely educational."

The ban is not a school policy.

"It's more of a departmental thing, we have a diverse student body," he said.

Does some Professor's preference trump 1st Amendment? Does he plan to enforce this ban?

 

[88GT]

A school in FL banned the Bible for child's choice reading time. If it were only about a first amendment issue, it would be bad enough.

 

[leftsock]

From the article:

The university's Executive Director of Communication Mary Schulken told Campus Reform that students are allow to thank God during the campus-wide graduation because "the First Amendment allows them ... to thank any force or any individual that they so desire.

"Shortly after Hvastkovs's interview with Campus Reform, Marilyn Sheerer, the East Carolina University's provost, released an email advising students disregard Hvastkovs's guidelines.

Sheerer told students that "[r]eligious references of any type will not be restricted," and the "niversity will only limit these expressions, as permitted by applicable First Amendment law."

Looks like the problem took care of itself.

 

[ModernGunner]

This is why there should be NO tenure for any Professor at ANY educational institution that receives any type, direct or indirect, of governmental funding or subsidy.

 

[ViperJock]

This is why there should be NO tenure for any Professor at ANY educational institution that receives any type, direct or indirect, of governmental funding or subsidy.

Tenure is complete BS anywhere. I took a child psych class from a Prof who did nothing but talk about how awesome he was at chess. such a huge waste of time. But, you know, he had tenure.

 

[jgreiner]

This is why there should be NO tenure for any Professor at ANY educational institution that receives any type, direct or indirect, of governmental funding or subsidy.

^^^^^^This^^^^^

 

[rambone]

If the rule stood, would you observe it?

 

[ArcadiaGP]

If the rule stood, would you observe it?

Not a particularly religious man myself, but of course not. Especially since it's just one professor spouting off his crap. He's not going to rush the stage and scream at someone that does it, and the people that do it anyway will face no repercussions (honestly, they're graduating, what will he do, suspend them?)

Just another idiot professor throwing his personal commentary around.

 

[Leo]

Professors are not god, they are simply hired employees. I have clashed with plenty of professors (and TA's who are often hitlers in training) having been in and out of various colleges since 1976. Many of them are on a power trip that only can be maintained by bossing around timid 19 year olds whose mothers are paying the bills. A full grown man paying his own way is not so easily intimidated. Don't get me wrong, they do have authority in their own spheres of influence, however small the circle. I have had to drop classes at one university and take the course somewhere else to maintain my GPA, due to clashing with the egos of liberal arts professors. The bottom line is, I kept my charactor and integrity, and am still able to think on analytical and critical levels. No professors we able to beat that out of me.

 

[hornadylnl]

Keep sending in those tuition checks.

 

[MisterChester]

As long as they can thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster or whatever deity they want then there's no issue. Saying you can't thank a certain god but you can to others would be the wrong thing.

 

[Mark 1911]

If the rule stood, would you observe it?

Oh, absolutely. Just like CT residents obeyed the recent registration law and high capacity magazine ban. Professor Hvastkovs' statements will likely have just the opposite of their intended effect, especially considering his audience.

As President Obama became the unlikely 2012 firearms salesman of the year, as Rahm Emanuel became the unlikely 2012 chicken salesman of the year, so Eli Hvastkovs may become the 2014 East Carolina University evangelist of the year.

 

[indiucky]

As long as they can thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Ever since Dawkin's (Richard) starting using that phrase it has become a key component of the Church of Atheism's Doctrine (Blessed be the Saints Dawkins, Darwin and Hitchens, Amen) and it seems to have crept into their Evangelical Creed.......

It was so boring before when one would ask about their Faith and they would just shrug their shoulders and go "I dunno...I believe in nuthin' I guess..." Now days many of the faithful are writing and selling books, putting little Darwin "fish with feet" logos on their cars, having Conventions where they can hang out with other Church members, and spending time on TV shows promoting their Faith...It truly is a Golden Age for those that can look in the mirror each morning and say to themsleves "Yep...I am it...The culmination of the "Big Bang" and eons worth of Evolution" right before they floss and spit in the sink....A true Golden Age of Enlightenment is at hand....

If I go by a County Courhouse and there are no Religious displays am I to assume that the non display is promoting the Church of Atheism? Should I sue?

I tried being an Atheist in my twenties but I had to quit when I found out I did not have that kind of blind faith and childlike naivety to pull it off...I really tried but science and history kept dragging me back to the fold of JC the Carpenter....

 

[88GT]

Professors are not god, they are simply hired employees. I have clashed with plenty of professors (and TA's who are often hitlers in training) having been in and out of various colleges since 1976. Many of them are on a power trip that only can be maintained by bossing around timid 19 year olds whose mothers are paying the bills. A full grown man paying his own way is not so easily intimidated. Don't get me wrong, they do have authority in their own spheres of influence, however small the circle. I have had to drop classes at one university and take the course somewhere else to maintain my GPA, due to clashing with the egos of liberal arts professors. The bottom line is, I kept my charactor and integrity, and am still able to think on analytical and critical levels. No professors we able to beat that out of me.

Okay, I'd like to back this train up a bit and correct what seems to be a major misconception about what liberal arts really means. It has nothing to do with politics, and liberal arts professors can be conservative, Republican, or *gasp* even libertarian.

Liberal arts refers to the course of study over and above the trade/vocation. It harkens back to the ancient Greek and Roman times when it was expected of the free men (citizens) to have a particular skill set and knowledge set to maintain proper participation in society and civic life. It is separated from the slave, servant, or skilled laborer who learned one skill for his bread and butter. A liberal arts education was the highest form of education a person can achieve (still is if it's done right, but that is so very rarely the case anymore).

 

[ghuns]

Keep sending in those tuition checks.

Yeah, cause collage is dum.

 

[hornadylnl]

Yeah, cause collage is dum.

The surest way to fix it is to keep on paying.

 

[JettaKnight]

This is why there should be NO tenure for any Professor at ANY educational institution that receives any type, direct or indirect, of governmental funding or subsidy.

Who said he's tenured? Actually, he's not - https://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/chem/Eli-Hvastkovs.cfm

Furthermore, it sounds like the administration slapped the taste out of his mouth for this stunt.



BTW, What the heck is the "University Herald"?



(And yes, I agree the tenure system is flawed)

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

 

[MisterChester]

Ever since Dawkin's (Richard) starting using that phrase it has become a key component of the Church of Atheism's Doctrine (Blessed be the Saints Dawkins, Darwin and Hitchens, Amen) and it seems to have crept into their Evangelical Creed.......

It was so boring before when one would ask about their Faith and they would just shrug their shoulders and go "I dunno...I believe in nuthin' I guess..." Now days many of the faithful are writing and selling books, putting little Darwin "fish with feet" logos on their cars, having Conventions where they can hang out with other Church members, and spending time on TV shows promoting their Faith...It truly is a Golden Age for those that can look in the mirror each morning and say to themsleves "Yep...I am it...The culmination of the "Big Bang" and eons worth of Evolution" right before they floss and spit in the sink....A true Golden Age of Enlightenment is at hand....

If I go by a County Courhouse and there are no Religious displays am I to assume that the non display is promoting the Church of Atheism? Should I sue?

I tried being an Atheist in my twenties but I had to quit when I found out I did not have that kind of blind faith and childlike naivety to pull it off...I really tried but science and history kept dragging me back to the fold of JC the Carpenter....

Hey, to each his own. As for the courthouse they should either display nothing religious or have some kind of monument for every religion. Don't think that would go well over with the stop government spending crowd though.

The people you speak of are mostly trolls. Truth is most atheists/non-religious people don't care about that stuff as long as religion isn't being shoved in their face. I'm not a religious person myself and I find some of that stuff amusing. It's kind of like having male genitalia. It's OK to be proud of it, just don't whip it out to the unwilling

 

[Leo]

Okay, I'd like to back this train up a bit and correct what seems to be a major misconception about what liberal arts really means. It has nothing to do with politics, and liberal arts professors can be conservative, Republican, or *gasp* even libertarian.

Liberal arts refers to the course of study over and above the trade/vocation. It harkens back to the ancient Greek and Roman times when it was expected of the free men (citizens) to have a particular skill set and knowledge set to maintain proper participation in society and civic life. It is separated from the slave, servant, or skilled laborer who learned one skill for his bread and butter. A liberal arts education was the highest form of education a person can achieve (still is if it's done right, but that is so very rarely the case anymore).

I have a certificate in Political science from the 1970's and my Masters work was in Psych with a minor in counseling. My BA is in Theology. I am working on a Phd in Educational Psych, looking forward to defending my work next spring. Last I looked that qualified as liberal arts. The Mathmatical, Engineering and Business professors had curriculum that really didn't depend on you agreeing with their world view to get a 4.0. All you needed to do was learn the establshed materials. Especially in areas of study like Psychology and Philosophy, the professors personal view becomes the only acceptable truth and if you differ radically you either give up your beliefs and integrity or suffer a failing grade. You are correct, that professors in those subjects can be of any mindset.

I do agree with you that once someone is firmly grounded in Mathmatics and Sciences, the highest calling is in the arts. The true arts are not always what you get in public liberal arts colleges.