I wanted to pass along this message in an effort to bring this to light. Please share this with everyone and anyone you can. It is worth our time to become involved, because what we lose through idleness will be very costly.
Dear Supporter of Academic Freedom:
Earlier this year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation demanded that Ball State University (BSU)investigate and censor physics professor Eric Hedin for teaching an honors science seminar on "The Boundaries of Science" that discussed the debate over intelligent design. As a result, BSU launched a Kangaroo Court-style investigation of Hedin, and now BSU President Jo Ann Gora has issued an edict banning all faculty from expressing support for intelligent design in the classroom, and further banning science faculty from even discussing the topic in their classes. This is a bald-faced assault on academic freedom and must not be allowed to stand.
If you support academic freedom on intelligent design, we need you to contact Ball State University's Board of Trustees right away and ask them to overturn President Gora's ban on faculty discussions of intelligent design.
Ironically, although Ball State finds it intolerable to permit professors to express their support for intelligent design, it sponsors an honors seminar on "Dangerous Ideas" in which the sole textbook repeatedly attacks religion, often in the name of science. Indeed, contributors to the volume declare that "Science Must Destroy Religion," that "There is no God; no Intelligent Designer; no higher purpose to our lives," and even that scientists should function as our society's "high priests"!
Ball State is engaging in complete hypocrisy and double-speak when it comes to academic freedom. Its faculty are free to bash intelligent and even trash religion, but according to the university's President they shouldn't be able to discuss the evidence that favors intelligent design.Please send a respectful message today to Ball State's Board of Trustees urging them to allow real academic freedom and free speech on intelligent design.
How to Contact the Board
Messages to the Board of Trustees can be sent by email to the Board's recording secretary atakelsey@bsu.edu or by fax to 765-285-1461. When sending your message, I'd appreciate it if you could blind copy me at bsufreedom@discovery.org. I am going to check to make sure that Board members are receiving the messages you send, and if they don't, I am going to try to find other ways to get them to Board members, even if we have to physically mail copies to them.
I just saw a book this week about the 100 most dangerous educators in America. As the author pointed out, Modern academia has become focused on protecting and promulgating the most radical ideas in the name of educational freedom while repressing every differing view. This article demonstrates again that attitude.
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