Thursday, June 17, 2010

Duke Celebrates Tyson

Said David Jarmul, associate vice president for news and communications: “Professor Tyson is highly regarded here at Duke for his work as a faculty member."

That's the same Professor Tyson who:

--in his capacity as a teacher, attended a guilt-presuming protest outside the lacrosse captains' house, at about the same time the supposed "victim" was taped pole-dancing at a strip club;

--publicly asserted about Duke students, based solely on evidence supplied by Mike Nifong, “I think the spirit of the lynch mob lived in that house on Buchanan Street, frankly, and I think that we prefer to think of white supremacists as ignorant, pot-bellied, tobacco-chewing sheriffs and Ku Klux Klan members from Mississippi, but here we have the sons of power and privilege, the wealthy and well-educated among us, who are acting out this history.”

--claimed that Duke students not talking to Sgt. Mark Gottlieb outside the presence of their attorneys “may be illegal” and constituted a “terrible moral miscalculation.”

--falsely stated, "The neighbors who have no ax to grind in this, presumably, seem to confirm the charges of the women that there were a lot of racial insults thrown.” [emphasis added]

--ignored any conception of due process by affirming, “I wouldn’t let this team continue to exist until the police get some cooperation from them.”

And then, asked about his inflammatory statements by the Wilmington Star-News after the case to which he had attached his public reputation collapsed, defiantly proclaimed: "I stand by every word of it."

(This is also the same Tim Tyson whose movie project received between $1 million and $5 million in backing from former BOT chairman Robert Steel.)

Said David Jarmul, associate vice president for news and communications: “Professor Tyson is highly regarded here at Duke for his work as a faculty member."

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

And this is precisely why Duke, as a "University," is held in such low regard. Its ham-handed efforts to inject itself into the pool of "quasi-Ivies" is both humorous and, candidly, a bit pathetic. It will forever remain a regional, expensive, "Southern" school. That is, up until Duke is forced to surrender title and all remaining assets to make good on the forthcoming civil judgments.

Finally, did anyone else watch Jamie Gorelick on TV yesterday? Her CNN interview was an utter disaster by any metric. BP could not have been pleased as, incredibly, Gorelick managed to make BP (and herself) look even worse. Duke must be kicking itself for ever having even considered hiring her.

Someone at Duke said...

Don't know if you have seen this but here is someone who seems to understand exactly what Tyson is:
http://timothybtyson.com/

Anonymous said...

"Duke does not have an official position on the Wake County school board’s move but is supportive of Tyson’s use of civil disobedience, said David Jarmul...

(snip)

“We believe strongly in academic freedom and in free speech. It’s just a fundamental part of what we are as a University,” he added."


One wonders if Duke would have had similar words of "support" if any professors had led a sit in at the Durham City Council to protest Nifong's abuse of the legal system...

Anonymous said...

LMAO!!! You have to be fairly deranged to believe Duke is held in low regard. You people really are unhinged over all of this stuff.

Chris Halkides said...

Tyson's disdain for students speaking to police only in the presence of his or her attorney always struck me as highly questionable. As my knowledge of false confessions/accusations has grown, his view seems an almost criminally stupid notion to impart to a young person. The following two videos are roughly 25 minutes each, but make some very good points.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865#

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865#docid=6014022229458915912

Jim in Greensboro said...

O/T: Former District Attorney in North Carolina charged with 9 counts.
And, no, it's not Nifong.
This guy served 2 counties, so, with 100 counties in the state, it appears you have at least a 3% chance of sharing a prison with your prosecutor in North Carolina.

Jamal Matsuzaka said...

It's business as usual. Reprehensible people cultivating their bigotry and sense of entitlement in a challenge-free environment.

Panacea said...

Some of us have seen Timothy Tyson get away with these kinds of shenanigans all our lives.

By using religion along with race issues, he and his father have made their careers and certain people will always buy into what they are selling.

It's still a little surprising that places like Duke University would hire and continue to praise someone like that. I guess I used to hold universities in higher esteem than I should.

kcjohnson9 said...

To the 2.11:

Thank you for your articulate defense of Prof. Tyson's abilities.

Duke1965 said...

To Anonymous @ 10:23 pm...... if your comments are meant to be taken seriously, you are in dire need of a reality check. First of all, who is it exactly who holds Duke in such low regard? Duke is generally viewed as one of the top research universities in the country. As for the civil suit, there's no possibility that it will bankrupt Duke. Bear in mind that Section 1983 suits do not, historically, result in huge judgments....... last time I checked, the largest judgment in history for this type of suit was about $30 million, not exactly a Bhopal-size judgment.

I have tremendous respect for KC Johnson and the work he has done on the lacrosse fiasco. I also believe President Broadhead is an extremely weak leader. That said, Duke as an institution is much bigger than the lacrosse case or a weak President. You may want to believe that Duke is going down the tubes, but you might want to consider that since 2006, Duke's national rankings have improved, and applications by very highly qualified students have increased as well. It's a mistake to think that this blog, with its very narrow focus, even begins to paint an accurate view of Duke in its totality. It's just one perspective, which may be more (or less) important depending on your personal perspective.

Anonymous said...

Is Tyson a Communist?

Anonymous said...

To 5:23,
Exactly.
NoD

Anonymous said...

"That said, Duke as an institution is much bigger than the lacrosse case or a weak President."

Wrong on both counts. It's no bigger than the least of its students; and if it treats even one student as "expendable" in the name of its PR; or one student as "expendable" to an activist and agenda-driven faculty, then it has sunk to the lowest level possible for an educational institution.

Either a university is in the "kid business", or it is not. There's no middle ground.

Anonymous said...

To Duke1965 (@ 7:20):

This is Anon 10:23.

You asked: "who is it exactly who holds Duke in such low regard?" Well, I do. And I am also the very person who has single handedly insured that applications from Duke alums applying to my (Ivy) league law school are "fly-specked" beyond belief. Besides applications from a few Duke engineers and hard science majors (who, by the way, have done admirably--I've checked), I've helped make sure that most others are denied. Duke is an open (and long-running) joke in our faculty longue.

What's amazing is that many Duke applicants come to us with jaw-droppingly high GPS and stunningly low LSAT scores. Of course, it all made perfect sense when I read KC's description of Duke "Prof." Davidson's grading "protocols." Duke simply gives away high GPAs in exchange for tuition. Which also helps explains Duke's popularity among ill-informed (or lazy, or both) 17 year-olds seeking the undergraduate course of least resistance. Sadly, they get what they bargain for. While such a policy might make for fraudulent transcripts, when "Dukies" are forced to sit for standardized exams (e.g., LSAT, MCAT, GRE, etc.) and compete with students who benefit from a truly rigorous undergraduate expereince, they frequently fall short.

You'll just have to trust me when I say that my feelings are shared by others--many others in the academy.

Finally, as someone who teaches (and writes) on Section 1983, your point about "... last time I checked, the largest judgment in history for this type of suit was about $30 million, not exactly a Bhopal-size judgment" is simply off. The Duke Lax Hoax/fiasco is utterly without precedent, legal or otherwise.

The first thing Duke will do when the Judge finally allows discovery to proceed (that is, besides change their briefs) is offer to fire Brodhead as one way to "appease" the plaintiffs and deflect any actual trial. Given what we've all seen from these plaintiffs all along, however, they are out for extracting the truth, wherever it falls. Unlike Duke's undergrads, these plaintiffs cannot be simply "bought off." And the truth will literally cost Duke, in your words, "a Bhopal-size judgment."

Your ridiculous point about "$30M" made me laugh. $30M? Duke has already spent at least as much on settlements, legal fees, etc. And again, discovery has not yet started. That's when the legal meters will really start spinning. Now that Duke's insurance companies have (wisely) scampered, Duke is literally naked from a financial exposure standpoint. It will have no other recourse but to turn to (and gut) its endowment to satisfy the forthcoming judgments. "Trust mother on this, dear," this will not end pretty for Duke.

Anonymous said...

So, KC, how is that "hopey-changey" thing working out for you?

R.R. Hamilton

Anonymous said...

Hey KC FYI...

Today's NY Times...

Banker Is Said to Be Mayor’s Choice for Economic Development

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/nyregion/22edc.html?ref=nyregion

KV
Trinity '78

Duke 1965 said...

To Anon @10:23:

In a sense you've made my point.... Timothy Tyson and the other fools in Silly Studies are a very small (but vocal) part of Duke's actual academic experience. As far as the post-graduate performance of Duke undergrads,the Dukies generally do very well in terms of admission to top tier law, medical, business administration and other graduate schools.

I had to laugh at the thought that a judgement in the 1983 case will somehow bring Duke to its knees. Trust me on this one, for a whole host of reasons, the case (at least as far as Duke is concerned) will quietly settle within the next couple of years. The plaintiffs' "conspiracy" theory is novel, to say the least. That leaves what, a few FERPA violations, bad advice from in-house legal counsel, and the antics of some nutty professors who are probably protected by the First Amendment even if state action is found? I'm not in any way condoning Duke's actions, but that is a far cry from a huge legal judgment. Time will tell....

Anonymous said...

"Duke is literally naked from a financial exposure standpoint. It will have no other recourse but to turn to (and gut) its endowment to satisfy the forthcoming judgments."

Trustees whose own wrongdoing leads to a loss of trust funds in a legal case may be liable to personally repay the trust. Because trustees in this case may therefore have a conflict of interest when deciding how much of Duke's money to spend, the court should have considered appointing interim trustees to be responsible for decisions regarding whether or not to continue
defending against the suits or to settle.

(In Britain trustees must obtain the approval of the court before spending the funds of a Trust on a legal defense of their own conduct.)

However, I am very doubtful that our legal system is capable of providing a level playing field when the opposing team consists of persons with the clout of Robert K. Steel, Melinda Gates (wife of Bill Gates), Jamie Gorelick, etc.

These cases have already been delayed unconscionably for more than two years; two witnesses have died in that time. With appeals, it may be more years before the final decision comes down on whether or not discovery can begin.

Can an ordinary citizen get his cause heard before a jury in reasonable time if the defendants are among the most powerful people in the nation? Unfortunately, the answer
as shown by these cases may turn out to be negative.

Anonymous said...

I am another person who holds Duke in low regard. I lived in Raleigh during the Hoax but have since retired to a university town in Texas. A certain number of the professor's sons and daughters here aspire to go to Duke which does aggressively recruit students from Texas. I make it a point to point out to potential recruits the pitfalls of attending Duke, including weak leadership, radical professors, poor academics in certain areas, Durham's high crime rate, etc. I tell them if the Duke leadership would throw the lacrosse team under the bus, they will throw you under the bus in a heartbeat.

I am sure there are many more people like me throughout the country who are advising potential Duke recruits in the same manner that I am. This has to be having an impact upon the quality of recruits. Prior to the lacrosse Hoax, I probably would have advised prospective Duke recruits to go there but the hoax opened my eyes to what really goes on at Duke and I know that it opened the eyes of millions of folks across the country as well.

Anonymous said...

Duke1965 (@ 8:45) wrote:

"... for a whole host of reasons, the case (at least as far as Duke is concerned) will quietly settle within the next couple of years."

Apparently, you haven't been following this Hoax/case closely over the years. You must be deluding yourself if you think for one nano-second that these plaintiffs will settle for *anything* less than a public, sworn, "on-the-record" elocution of the truth. The cost to Duke--financial and other--will simply fall where it will. That's how being held to account works.

You also wrote:

"That leaves what, a few FERPA violations,... "

You must not be an attorney or you would know that the *only* remedy for proven FERPA violations is ineligibility for federal education funds. That would end Duke as you know it today. Duke could not operate for one week without access to the federal "tit."

Finally, you wrote:

"Time will tell...".

Well, I'll give you that one. Congrats.

FWIW, I understand your sensitivity to your alma mater. Obviously, the value of your degree sufferd permanent degradation owing to Duke's actions and inactions. Chalk it up to even more collateral damage. Perhaps you could press your discomfort to the Gang of 88, Brodhead, Steel, et al. I'll bet they surely welcome such input from alumni.

Anonymous said...

Duke's image took a fatal blow in my eyes because of the Mangum/Duke Administration False Rape Scandal. Every bad actor in that saga within the control of Duke University was rewarded for their malevolence. The administration is weak, and unless something is done about that foundational problem -- a problem I only see staying the same or getting worse if you can believe it -- Duke will go the way of Plymouth, Detroit, Sears and the Seattle Supersonics.

********************

I know I've written this about 14 times, but I love to write it, so bear with me: I loved Timothy Tyson's book when it was called "To Kill a Mockingbird."

********************

R.R. Hamilton, my friend, I'm very happy with my POTUS. Isn't it great to have a clear-thinking, rational person as President? MOO Gregory

Anonymous said...

As one who teaches high school juniors, I am often asked by my students about colleges. Believe me when I say that I never give Duke a favorable recommendation. Given that many of my students are athletes, when I finish with the story of the hoax and the failure of Duke to stand by its students, Duke is scratched from their list.
cks

Anonymous said...

As a Wake county resident, Tim Tyson and his "history" interests me and it amazes me how blindly people follow him and gravitate and believe everything out of this guy's mouth. A committe called "Great Schools in Wake Coalition" , a "support group" of people that "value eduaction" who is on a witch hunt for the new board. I have my good and bad views on the new board. But my problem is this group sponsored a couple of movie days at Galaxy Cinema in Cary, that showed Tyson's movie a few times and just the other day, they showed "To Kill A Mockingbird" and THEN, get this...had Tim Tyson there as a guest to discuss the racial history of the area in concerns with direction that the Wake Co. board is heading. I don't care what side of the fence you are on. But it really worries me for a group of people like this, to ACTUALLY ingage in the thinking of Tim Tyson. It just amazes me how blind people are. I guess just plain ole ignorance plays a part as well.

Anonymous said...

I also am one of those who holds Duke in low regard as a result of the actions of Brodhead and some of its faculty. Oh, I agree there's lots of great research done there, but just like any report by CBS, any statement from Duke is looked at with a wary eye as to whether it is accurate or not - since it has proven itself untrustworthy. Does my opinion matter? Probably not, although I discouraged my son and daughter, both of whom were admitted to ivy league schools, from applying to Duke (and Vanderbilt which hired Duke faculty.