DAYTON (TDB) -- Former Republican Gov. Bob Taft is the only chief executive in the state's 204-year history to face a judge for criminal conduct. Now the campus newspaper at the University of Dayton is wondering angrily how the disgraced and ethically challenged ex-governor landed a prominent position at the Catholic school. It points out that Dayton's student handbook urges honesty, truth and integrity -- traits where former Taft seems to have come up short.
When Taft left office in January, he was considered one of the nation's worst governors; Time Magazine called him one of the three crummiest. His administration also was riddled with corruption -- witness the Tom Noe scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.
Taft, who frequently consorted with lobbyists on golf courses, is now in charge of the University of Dayton's brand new Center for Educational Excellence and is going to be recreating himself as some kind of grade school Mr. Fix-it guru. It is a role he auditioned for during his eight years in the governor's chair -- and many think he flunked. The Flyer News editorial describes Taft as a bumbler and worse, and said nobody should financially support Taft's center.
"Here's is a hint to those considering a donation to Taft's center for excellence in the field of education: forget the checkbook. The checkbook has two drawbacks. First, a checkbook leaves a paper trail. Second, a checkbook is not a golf course. During his time as governor, Taft received nearly fifty lobbyist sponsored golf outings. He was clearly too busy reading the greens to be reading the class material for POL 314: Interest Group Politics. Had the former governor attended the class he could have averted his four criminal convictions."
The Flyer also noted
"So, somehow, a man who was convicted and publicly reprimanded for a string of misdemeanors, who violated Ohio's code of professional conduct for lawyers, ends up working for this school. When former governor, and current criminal record holder, Bob Taft applied for this position at UD, was there no background check? Did no one have electricity for the last two years? How is a man with multiple criminal convictions working at this school."
The complete text of the editorial is here. It cites the UD student handbook, which says campus denizens are expected to "Be honest, truthful and live with integrity." The Flyer said Taft's hiring shows there is one set of standards for students, and another for administrators.
Showing posts with label University of Dayton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Dayton. Show all posts
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
U. of Dayton Research: N-Word Often Used By Whites
DAYTON (TDB) -- A University of Dayton sociology professor has written a book with a Texas A&M colleague that says whites use the N-word often in settings where blacks are not present. The researchers say ugly racial stereotypes are commonly expressed during whites-only conversations. In short, the book contends people of color are disparaged today with the kind of offensive language what was openly used in the 1940s.
''People argue that the N-word no longer has racial meaning, but it's very common and very prevalent and they do seem to know the racial significance of it," said Leslie H. Picca, an assistant professor of sociology at the Catholic school in Ohio. "These are white, educated students -- the kind of people we generally believe are less racist. It was heartbreaking, just heartbreaking, to see how frequent, how common and how harshly these racial stereotypes are being perpetuated."
Her findings are based on written journals maintained during the 2002-2003 school year by 626 white college students. They students were on campuses across the nation, but the sites have not yet been made public. The co-author of the book is Joe R. Feagin at Texas A&M. Their book is Two Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage. It is due for release this spring by Routledge Publishing.
The authors said they found one student who heard the n-word 27 times in a single day, and they conclude that whites talk about blacks they way they did over the past 40 to 60 years. The project was designed to examine how whites used racially offensive language when they were in private groups. Most of the students were between ages 18 and 25, and nearly all grew up in the post-civil rights era.
Feagin said 9,000 accounts were collected in the journals, and about 75 percent denigrated blacks, 10 percent were aimed at Hispanics and the rest were offensive toward Arabs, Jews and other groups. He delivered a lecture in 2005 that DISCUSSED the findings before they were prepared for the upcoming book.
Picca said in a school news release about her research that white women students sometimes object to prejudicial language, but the objectors themselves can become targets for insults. Her study about white in private moments contradicts the findings of public opinion surveys of whites who say they have become more tolerant. The University of Dayton's news release about the forthcoming book is available HERE.
''People argue that the N-word no longer has racial meaning, but it's very common and very prevalent and they do seem to know the racial significance of it," said Leslie H. Picca, an assistant professor of sociology at the Catholic school in Ohio. "These are white, educated students -- the kind of people we generally believe are less racist. It was heartbreaking, just heartbreaking, to see how frequent, how common and how harshly these racial stereotypes are being perpetuated."
Her findings are based on written journals maintained during the 2002-2003 school year by 626 white college students. They students were on campuses across the nation, but the sites have not yet been made public. The co-author of the book is Joe R. Feagin at Texas A&M. Their book is Two Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage. It is due for release this spring by Routledge Publishing.
The authors said they found one student who heard the n-word 27 times in a single day, and they conclude that whites talk about blacks they way they did over the past 40 to 60 years. The project was designed to examine how whites used racially offensive language when they were in private groups. Most of the students were between ages 18 and 25, and nearly all grew up in the post-civil rights era.
Feagin said 9,000 accounts were collected in the journals, and about 75 percent denigrated blacks, 10 percent were aimed at Hispanics and the rest were offensive toward Arabs, Jews and other groups. He delivered a lecture in 2005 that DISCUSSED the findings before they were prepared for the upcoming book.
Picca said in a school news release about her research that white women students sometimes object to prejudicial language, but the objectors themselves can become targets for insults. Her study about white in private moments contradicts the findings of public opinion surveys of whites who say they have become more tolerant. The University of Dayton's news release about the forthcoming book is available HERE.
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