Wash U. Law School dean defends his faculty
In a letter Wednesday afternoon to the Post-Dispatch, law school dean Kent Syverud took issue with comments attributed to Phyllis Schlafly in which she personally attacked law school faculty members opposed to her receiving an honorary degree from the university on Friday. The complete text of Syverud’s letter follows:
May 14, 2008
Phyllis Schlafly, a graduate of our law school who will receive an honorary degree from Washington University on Friday, today responded to critics of the degree in an interview in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Those critics included 14 members of the law faculty who signed a letter explaining why they were disappointed in the decision to honor Mrs. Schlafly. Her response:
“They are a bunch of bitter women,” she said of her detractors. “It was 25 years ago that we buried the equal rights amendment and they are still whining about it.” Her suggestion to them? “Get a life. Move on. Try to do something with your life.”
There has been much controversy over the decision to award Mrs. Schlafly an honorary degree. I am dean of the law school, and I understand the process of the University that produced this decision. I am also proud to be part of a great university dedicated to learning and ideas. I often don’t agree with some of the ideas expressed here - including ideas of alumni and faculty. But I admire a university where people take ideas seriously and examine them on their merits, and where they are civil and respectful of others, including those with whom they disagree. I don’t think honorary degrees should be restricted to those whose ideas are popular ones, on or off campus.
I do think all members of the university community should encourage civility and respect in discourse about ideas, even when the ideas are controversial ones. I did not sign the letter from law faculty. Nevertheless, I believe it was a thoughtful and careful effort to address the issue of whom a university should honor. The women and men who signed it - my colleagues - are neither bitter nor whiners, but rather committed teachers and scholars. They care about ideas, and they have poured their hard work into educating thousands of their students - including Mrs. Schlafly - with wonderful results. They don’t need to get a life, because they have already lived one worthy of respect.
I suspect Mrs. Schlafly did not mean to refer to the law faculty’s letter when she made her remarks. In any event, I hope all of us at a university could agree that arguments about ideas should wherever possible be about ideas, rather than converted into personal attacks.
Sincerely,
Kent SyverudDean
Ethan A.H. Shepley University Professor
Washington University School of Law
Go Fish, can you at least read the comments before spitting out knee-jerk reactions? Schlafly’s quote is included in the very comment you were reacting to: at Bates College, Schlafly said “by getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape”
Flyover you’ve made a good point and have a deal-Send your check payable to Family Resource Center (which takes care of foster kids in St. Louis-a truly politically neutral charity) to Eric Mink at the Post-You can either send an annoymous money order or I’ll agree that he won’t reveal your name. When Mr. Mink receives the dough I’ll promise not to blog on ANY site regarding Ms. Schalfly. Mr. Mink will have my persmission d to delete any posts I make. If you make the contribution $2k he can delete the old one.
Time to put your money where your mouth is.-And I’ll bet $1k you don’t. If you do I’ll not only shut up and I’ll match your grand.
If you don’t pay up within the week I’ll assume you have welched and will be changing your anonymous blog name.
Norm, you assumed you get to pick the charity. I will send $1,000 to the Make a Wish Foundation. I will have Sandy Leher, their director notify Mr. Mink that it arrived. I want you to keep posting, just come up with a new line. Just because someone posts anonymously, doesn’t mean they are wrong! (Also, I am taking the deduction, I am going to need it if Barak F. Obama gets elected).
I’m delighted that you boys — I’m assuming flyover (or should I say flyover-X) is male — appear to have worked out an arrangement. Maybe you two should volunteer for duty as co-Middle East envoys. If you can bring peace to The Platform, all things are possible.
Now please feel free to resume the issue-oriented argumentation.
Yes Adam, I can. In fact, I can even do you one better. I’ve read the entire transcript of that speech as well as several other arguments Schlafly’s made regarding what she considers the injudicious use of domestic violence law. If you’ll take the time to do the same, you might be surprised to learn what Schlafly really said. That is, of course, if you or any of her other critics care about little things like context and intellectual honesty. It’s obvious certain members of the Wash U Law faculty and Ms X do not.
Flyover:
Maybe there really is a god like Phyliss says-Sandy Lehrer of Make a Wish and her Husband Joe are the godparents of my three children. You’ve picked a good charity. Have Sandy call me when the check arrives. I’ll send a similar amount to Family Resource Center.
I’ll enjoy reading the rest of your insults which will go unanswered.
Thanks for your help Eric.
Oh great, now I have to make her sign a confidentiality agreement. You can respond to me, insult me, just don’t keep saying I want to know who you are!
Oh. My. God. Can we give this a rest already? Tens of thousands have died in Myanmar and thousands have died in China over the last several days. Important crises are happening in the world. But the-Harvard-of-the-Midwest gets its whole world turned upside-down over a damned honorary degree…. Memo to Wash. U students and faculty — the world does not revolve around you….. Sheesh…..
Flyover-X:
I was logging on to say that I hadn’t gotten a call that the money had arrived when I saw your commnet. Of course I wouldn’t ask Sandy to disclose your identify-she wouldn’t do so anyway. In fact if you were so concerned you could make the donation anonymously with a money order and indicate to Sandy that she should call me and say the money had arrived. I’m suprised you reacted to my last post-I was complimenting you on your choice of chairty and saying I would keep my word-which I will-Just show Sandy the money.
It was a joke, Norm! I will be going over shortly. I will ask her to notify Mr. Mink at that time. Since this page will disappear shortly, I will post it in the Ike Turner, et al page, or else the newest story. I am not doing it by money order, the IRS wants to see your cancelled check.