A Rose By Any Other Name, Part I
Recently we received an email from a lawyer who has represented the University of Dubuque in the past. He/she raised concerns about the ethical integrity of the website editors due to our unwillingness to post our names, and the apparent contradiction this causes when we accuse the university of lacking transparency. The email from this lawyer is posted in full (except for the editorial decision to not post the name) to illustrate the concern that this lawyer and others might have about the website. Furthermore, we hope to illustrate the fact that we are willing to have an open dialogue concerning what we consider to be the ethical transgressions of the university:
To the Editors:
Is it common in academic circles to make assertions such as those you have made, and not identify the person or persons making them? What of the "courage of one's convictions?" You have been careful to recite that Dr. Jeffries is not responsible for the content of the blog, and to state that the "editors" and "contributors" are, however, you do not identify these people by name. Is that in the spirit of academic freedom and intellectual exchange? Long before I obtained any degrees, I was taught by a man with a fourth-grade education that before I drink the water, I had best first consider the source from which it came. By hiding behind what appears to be some sort of claim of editorial privilege, you have denied your readers that benefit. And that advances the cause of education and character building in what way? (And that question presumes that your purpose in developing this blog was an honorable one.) If you are truly interested in what my partner calls "the feast of reason and the flow of soul," would you not disclose your identity, so that the discourse may begin? As an attorney I have come to view any unsigned document offered in a dispute as of little or no value. Your anonymous blog is similarly viewed. Are you willing, as I am, to stand behind what you have written?
XXXXX
One of the attorneys who
has been honored to represent
the University of Dubuque
Read our response.
To the Editors:
Is it common in academic circles to make assertions such as those you have made, and not identify the person or persons making them? What of the "courage of one's convictions?" You have been careful to recite that Dr. Jeffries is not responsible for the content of the blog, and to state that the "editors" and "contributors" are, however, you do not identify these people by name. Is that in the spirit of academic freedom and intellectual exchange? Long before I obtained any degrees, I was taught by a man with a fourth-grade education that before I drink the water, I had best first consider the source from which it came. By hiding behind what appears to be some sort of claim of editorial privilege, you have denied your readers that benefit. And that advances the cause of education and character building in what way? (And that question presumes that your purpose in developing this blog was an honorable one.) If you are truly interested in what my partner calls "the feast of reason and the flow of soul," would you not disclose your identity, so that the discourse may begin? As an attorney I have come to view any unsigned document offered in a dispute as of little or no value. Your anonymous blog is similarly viewed. Are you willing, as I am, to stand behind what you have written?
XXXXX
One of the attorneys who
has been honored to represent
the University of Dubuque
Read our response.
posted by WhatWendtWrong at 8:16 PM
4 Comments:
ever heard of Deep throat?
Mr. Lawyer,
Ever read "Go ask Alice"? by anonymous
heck, for all we really know, most of the Bible is anonymous too!
Isn't a "Jane Doe" filing a ananomous case in the courts? I mean don't law people do this all the time in family court.
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