University Challenge - USA

It takes me back a while seeing University Challenge after all these years. It is the UK 'Intellectual' series where 4 'person' teams from Universities compete for the honour of well... simply beating all the others.  I catch the odd one or two as customers have been known to show them on the TV in the UK Room.

Lots of difficult questions are asked by an affable host, starting with the famous phrase, "here's your Starter for 10..." (points that is).

The host is Jeremy Paxman, a well known TV personality and political interviewer in the UK, where it used to be Wossisname - Bamber Gascoigne  - an altogether more suitable name  for a British academic I think. The teams have broadened in country of origin over the years reflecting the multiculti-ism so popular in universities and what were English towns today, and have even included some Americans. 

All terribly, terribly clever chaps. 
A fine array of English names to savour.

Trinity College, Cambridge Captained by classicist Ralph Morley won the final of this year’s University Challenge with eventual ease, beating Somerville College, Oxford by 240 points to 135. This is the fifth time in 20 years that Cambridge have won the prize. No doubt Oxford will politely remind them of the fact that they have won the trophy seven times in that same period.

And here's your host, Jeremy Paxton. Paxman? 
Well, Wossisname.

I do not know if the USA has a similar programme. But if they do not, perhaps they should. 

And I know just the Univerity to start the ball rolling.

The University of Denver.  It likes giving out prizes. It's Chancellor, one Rebecca Chopp (splendid name for someone so eager to fail students) should be on the first team, and perhaps all by herself. 

The subject matter could be her very own University, just to make things easy. And she doesn't need any team to compete against as that would put her in danger of losing.  We cannot have 'empowered' womyn like Rebecca being within a bull's roar of being defeated, can we. That would be sexist. Yea, even unto misogynistic.

We have a question Master. Howard Goldman. American too. He was in the bar today outlining the questions he would like to ask. He even wrote them down and sent them for her to 'look up'. 

Dr. Rebecca Chopp, chancellor at the University of Denver, took her position there in mid-2014. Before this she was President of Swarthmore College, and is named nineteen times in a January 2014 lawsuit by John Doe alleging he was wrongly expelled three months before his senior year after being falsely accused of sexual assault.

Prior to the filing of his lawsuit John Doe appealed to President Chopp, claiming that the university did not even follow its own rules when they found him guilty. 

President Chopp denied him even the chance to voice these concerns via appeal.

Now the chancellor at Denver U, she is called upon again to address gender equity. Howard says she has also ignored his concerns and not responded to him in the three weeks since his email. Perhaps being on the TV with an audience and a chance to get a prize will persuade her to answer.

Chancellor Chopp. Rebecca to her friends. If she has any.

Here's what Howard had to say, politely:

How do you do Ms. Chopp?  I came across your university’s webpage while browsing for colleges for my children. I have 2 daughters and a son. I noticed a few things that concern me and would certainly affect my decision of choice of school for my children.   

Some of these concerns result from the page on the website that is devoted to the annual women’s conference and the Robin Morgan Award.

The first thing that I noticed is that your university presents an annual award to a female staff member who goes beyond her job responsibilities. The women’s conference webpage states that this staff member should also enhance the concerns of women. There are several issues that concern me with this award.

Look. A Girl Tree !
Who knew girls grew on trees?

Here we all shouted, "Here's your starter for Ten, Chancellor Chopp." 

1. Why are male staff who go beyond their job responsibilities denied the opportunity to receive an award for doing so? Isn’t that sexism where an award is presented based solely on gender? Has there ever been an equivalent conference for men?

Notice the 'bonus points' questions before she has even answered the starter? What a fair chap Howard is. 

2. Why is there no recognition for a staff member that would enhance the concerns of men?   

More bonus questions here: 

Are the concerns of men on campus ever addressed or promoted?  Does DU even consider that men on campus would have any concerns? If so, why then are there no awards for staff that address them?

One concern I note is the enrollment and graduation rates based on gender. Statistics show an undergraduate 45% enrollment for men and just a 41% enrollment for men in graduate school. 

Graduation rates show that just about 40% of graduates are male for bachelors and masters degrees while an even lower rate for doctorates where only 1/3 are male.

With these kinds of rates, why does DU cater only to recognizing those that further the advocacy for women? 

Perhaps if DU would advocate for male issues and concerns, more men might feel welcomed to enroll in your school.

3. Your WAND (Women’s staff Alliance for Networking and Development) webpage is also a bit of a concern.  The page states: “WAND is an organization committed to helping staff women at the University of Denver achieve their highest potential as employees by means of advocacy, education, development and leadership.”

Does this mean that male staff have no such program to help them achieve their highest potential via education, development and leadership?   

Are male staff sub-par to female staff due to the void of their education and development opportunities?

4. My last and biggest concern is the Robin Morgan Award. 

This award is named after the former Ms. Magazine editor. The award is bestowed upon female staff that are exemplary in their duties.

The nice-lady looking Robin Morgan. In reality a
BIGOTTED, FOUL FEMINIST

Now we all know that the Ms.Magazine is the premier mouthpiece for feminism. And we all know that feminism is all sweetness and light, empathy, nurturing, conflict resolving, and it seeks eeekwalleteee. We can be pretty confident that Mz Morgan is a first class feminist. A lady we should listen to.

Robin Morgan has made some statements that in my opinion are rather disturbing and I ask why your university would name this award after her. By naming this award after Robin Morgan, DU is lauding and praising this woman’s thoughts and actions.   

The following are statements that I find offensive, to say the least:

I feel that ‘man-hating’ is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them.

So I should consider sending my son to a college that honors its female staff by naming an award after someone that honors those that hate men?  My son is deemed to oppress women? As am I?  If women are so oppressed why are 2/3 of all doctoral graduates women?

White males are the most responsible for the destruction of human life and environment on the planet today.

So I guess all those white males that invented, produced, perfected and built and implemented all the medical advancements we have today to save  and extend billions of lives are scum and not worth mention? 

I guess all the inventions that pollute the environment, like cars, airplanes, appliances, chemicals used in make-up and the like are never used by women and only men pollute?

I claim that rape exists any time sexual intercourse occurs when it has not been initiated by the woman, out of her own genuine affection and desire.

Thus, the woman you honored by naming an award after claims I am a rapist? And I am supposed to consider sending my son to this school, who will eventually be classified as such by your university’s idol? For brevity sake, I will just quote one more:

Let’s put one lie to rest for all time: the lie that men are oppressed, too, by sexism-the lie that there can be such a thing as men’s liberation groups.

Men are never oppressed by sexism? I won’t even begin to discuss family court or the other ways men are victims of sexism.

It’s ironic that this quote would be associated with Ms. Morgan, the same woman you name your award after. The same award that screams with sexism based on the fact that male staff are eliminated from contention to receive based solely on their gender.

Perhaps irony isn’t the right word. 

Perhaps hypocrisy is more correct. 

I wonder if you could rationalize all the above concerns and quotes.  I wonder if you could think of any reason I would send my son to this school given the above issues that I addressed.

Thank you for your time,

Howard Goldman

So far, Ms Chopp has not scored any points despite having all the quite easy bonus questions presented. 

Come along Chancellor.



The Tavern sends thanks to, and hopes you drop by to read more at:

http://www.avoiceformalestudents.com/chancellor-rebecca-chopp-why-does-the-university-of-denver-honor-radical-feminist-robin-morgan/

Pax.