GOP smacked down on Wisconsin emails

[kpete]

William Cronon
The University of Wisconsin has released its response to the open records request from the Republican Party of Wisconsin seeking access to history professor William Cronon's emails. Readers may recall that the GOP, upset at some blog posts and New York Times opinion pieces written by Cronon that were critical of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's agenda, had launched a fishing expedition, hoping to find evidence of partisan political activity on university time that could be used to embarrass the professor.

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We are excluding records involving students because they are protected under FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). We are excluding exchanges that fall outside the realm of the faculty member's job responsibilities and that could be considered personal pursuant to Wisconsin Supreme Court case law. We are also excluding what we consider to be the private email exchanges among scholars that fall within the orbit of academic freedom and all that is entailed by it. Academic freedom is the freedom to pursue knowledge and develop lines of argument without fear of reprisal for controversial findings and without the premature disclosure of those ideas.

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In her letter explaining the email release, Chancellor Martin concludes with a stirring call to intellectual arms, containing echoes of earlier academic responses to witch-hunting politicians:
http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2011/03/30/the_gop_war_on_labor_moves_to_academia/in
To our faculty, I say: Continue to ask difficult questions, explore unpopular lines of thought and exercise your academic freedom, regardless of your point of view. As always, we will take our cue from the bronze plaque on the walls of Bascom Hall. It calls for the "continual and fearless sifting and winnowing" of ideas. It is our tradition, our defining value, and the way to a better society.


MORE:
http://www.salon.com/news/wisconsin/index.html?story=/tech/htww/2011/04/01/william_cronon_emails_release
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/univ-of-wisconsin-responds-to-gops-open-records-request-against-professor.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tpmelectioncentral+%28TPM+Election+Central%29

[MineralMan]

1. Good for you, Chancellor Martin. Stick to your guns!

The GOP is slime.

[Scuba]

2. Man, I am soooo proud of Wisconsin !!!