Should teachers who give extra credit for students to attend anti-American war protests be fired?

Question

When parents send their students off to college, they hope their children will glean as much knowledge as possible from their professors during class lectures. However, at many universities, these students are instead being used to fill out the crowds at political demonstrations that meet with their professors’ approval.

The University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) has raised this to a fine art. MU’s Peace Studies chairman John Galliher and other faculty in his department have publicly recommended students skip classes to protest the “arrogant and stupid” war in Iraq.– and are willing to give extra credit to those who go – and to remember those who do not.

On the popular website Ratemyprofessors.com, where “the students do the grading,” one student wrote, “(Galliher is) disrespectful, completely left-wing biased, (he) tries to push his left-wing ideology rather than teach, and (he) once tried to recruit students to campaign for Rep. Kucinich in class. He indoctrinates, not educates."

Galliher also supported a recent addendum to university law calling to allow students to get credit by attending antiwar rallies and demonstrations instead of college classes. In other words, the students must agree to pose as political props for their professors and swell leftist Hate America rallies – or run the risk of losing college credit. Forget the fact that their parents – many of who are footing the bills – may not agree with the rally, or that students run the risk of being arrested or even tear-gassed by attending.

Galliher has pet interests besides condemning justified American wars wherever they break out; he also wants to legalize drugs and outlaw capital punishment. said, “I wake up every morning wondering why marijuana isn’t legal…in 35 years of teaching, I’ve had more trouble advocating for marijuana reform than for the abolishment of the death penalty.” A staunch supporter of death penalty abolition, Galliher has referred to capital punishment as “state-sponsored homicide.”

Answer 1

Not only should they be fired, they should be tried for treason (for indoctrinating an agenda that is wholly un American into young people) and thrown in jail

Answer 2

I think the key point that everyone is missing here is that Mizzou is a publicly funded university, meaning tax dollars are used to fund the school and pay professors' salaries.

Any university that uses public money should be apolitical. This professor clearly is not. He should be admonished; and if he persists in this behavior he should be fired.

Now, if he offered extra credit to students that attended either anti-war and pro-war demonstrations in the interest of furthering political debate that would be fine.

Answer 3

By offering extra credit (grade inflating) only to people who protest the war, he is espousing and rewarding a single political viewpoint.

That is bias and indoctrination and is inconsistent with the duty of a public university professor and the mission of that university.

It is disgusting that such people are protected from the consequences of their unethical behavior.

Answer 4

What course of action do you expect a peace studies professor to take? Of course, he would encourage students to protest the war. Furthermore, right-wing types push their agenda too. The vast majority of professors indoctrinate anyway.

Any professor who gives extra-credit in college should be fired, this isn't high school. You can support the troops and protest the president. There is a difference between protesting the war and acting unamerican. If you can't tell the difference, don't disparage those of us who can.

It's sad that a bad decision by someone is being used to further someone's agenda. The U.S. should have pulled out after capturing Saddam.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

If students are allow the same skip class to go to a pro-war and support the troops' effort. Like a rally for Bush or Rice.

However, if that professor won't allow that he shouldn't all the first.

Answer 7

I can see giving extra credit for those students who use their free time for social causes, but what their professors are doing constitutes harassment and yes should be fired. By virtue of their positions they are intimidating the students. In the real corporate world these people would be fired on the spot and escorted out the door.

Answer 8

First, anti-war protests do not equal anti-American protests.

Second, professors that engage in such unprofessional behavior should be fired.

Third, some of the answers above me are idiotic. Yes, some professors have a left-wing bias, but if you ever went to college you would know that the majority of them do not try to instill that bias in their students.

Answer 9

If you do your classwork, you don't need extra credit. And 'ratemyteacher'dot com is a sham. Especially when you take the testimonial of just one student, out of context. To answer the question NO, people should not be punished for practicing free speech. Regardless of political afiliation

Answer 10

I think that the teachers and administration encourageing the students to partake in rallies is fine but the fact that extra points are given is bad, because some students view the war as a positive thing contrary to teachers and administravtive ideas

Answer 11

I think there should be a rule against this sort of behavior, but good luck on that one. I think our young people should stand up to these teachers, and expose them. My daughter is a senior in high school, and she exposes her Liberal teachers every chance she gets. None, not one has ever been able to win a debate against her on the issues. We need to teach our kids to take a stand!