IAN SMART SPEAKS OUT

JAN BREWER, POPE JOHN PAUL II – PRESIDENT OBAMA, ERNESTO CARDENAL

2012-01-28T11:43:00.001-05:00

JAN BREWER, POPE JOHN PAUL II – PRESIDENT OBAMA, ERNESTOCARDENAL

In 1983, at an outdoor Mass in Managua, Nicaragua, thevisiting Pope John Paul II wagged his finger at a kneeling Ernesto Cardenal—a RomanCatholic priest who had become a leading figure in the Sandinista government.Was Jan Brewer mindful of the powerful impact of the image circulated aroundthe world of that confrontation two decades ago? Maybe so, maybe not. But, JanBrewer is no John Paul II.

It's the Wild, Wild West

2012-01-28T11:00:00.004-05:00

IT’S THE WILD, WILD WEST IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Under—or even downright—unqualified faculty are unilaterallyplaced in leadership positions. Not only are unqualified graduate—and evenundergraduate—students given full responsibility as instructors, but, some ofthem have been permitted to “do their own thing.” On the other hand, theincompetents who are charged with running/ruining the College waste scarceresources in bringing to heel a senior full professor of national andinternational renown precisely for—in their estimation, anyway—doing his ownthing.

Still Valued as Three-Fifths?

2012-01-27T09:46:00.003-05:00

STILL VALUED AS THREE-FIFTHS?

Are African Americans still valued as three-fifths ofWhites, as the U. S. Constitution affirms? This would make a fascinating studyfor an enterprising sociologist. The data should be readily available to showif Blacks only enjoy three-fifths of the goodies of society in comparison toWhites.

Ubi Sunt?

2012-01-26T14:43:00.006-05:00

UBI SUNT?

Where are the great scholars of old who once graced thehalls of The Capstone? Where is the successor to Mercer Cook, professor ofFrench and former departmental chair? It was Mercer Cook who first made CheikhAnta Diop’s work available to the English-speaking world. The currentdepartmental chair is a bogus professor of Spanish who has concurred with thefailed “peecar” project championed by the repudiated current president of TheCapstone. If they had their way, Mercer Cook’s magnificent contribution wouldbe rendered almost meaningless.

Racist Rhetoric Resurges . . .

2012-01-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

RACIST RHETORIC RESURGES, THE CAPSTONE’S CAPITULATIONCONTINUES

Newt Gingrich is shamelessly cranking up the racist rhetoricof the tea party bigots. Cheikh Anta Diop, George G. M. James, Asa Hilliard,Molefi Kete Asante, Kofi Kisi Dompere, among so many others, have clearlypointed to the one sure way to debunk the arrant nonsense that is whitesupremacy. Sadly, The Capstone maintains its self-hating resistance toemancipation from mental slavery.

Where is the Leadership for America and the GlobalCommunity?

The Slippery Slope to Felonious Mismanagement

2012-01-24T12:18:00.003-05:00

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO FELONIOUS MISMANAGEMENT

The COAS last summer committed to reward a faculty member atthe rank of lecturer with a paltry pay increase. We are well into the springsemester, and the faculty member has yet to be paid. However, the COAS in itsmachinations to deprive students of contact with an extremely popular seniorprofessor has though nothing of incurring entirely unnecessary expenses whichfar surpass the money owed to the aggrieved lecturer.

This constitutes petty mismanagement on the part of theCOAS. Those who engage in petty mismanagement are placing themselves on theslippery slope to felonious mismanagement.

Have We All Gone Mad?

2012-01-23T09:24:00.005-05:00

HAVE WE ALL GONE MAD?

The very foundations of Milton Friedman’s free marketcapitalism are deregulation, privatization, and severe cuts in governmentspending on social programs. These were the stringent structural adjustmentsthough which the IMF rained down socioeconomic terror on the “lesser developedcountries” (LDCs). After Nine-One-One, the U.S. administration opened its armsfully to free market capitalism at home.

The wild deregulation in the financial sector contributed toits immense growth. And it was the eventual collapse of the financial sectorthat caused the major meltdown of 2008.

Now, here come the tea party people claiming that thefundamental problem for the U.S. economy is “out-of-control” spending on socialprograms, and that the ONE SURE SOLUTION IS GREATER DEREGULATION ANDPRIVITIZATION.

HAVE WE ALL GONE MAD?

Administrative Abuse Costs

2012-01-22T07:13:00.001-05:00

ADMINISTRATIVE ABUSE COSTS

It appears that the office of the dean has a grudge againsta particular senior faculty member. In exacting vengeance against the “offending”professor, the office of the dean has plunged the University into unnecessaryexpense and has thickened the tangle of red tape that complicates the lives ofboth students and faculty.

Authority Is Not Power

2012-01-21T14:54:00.004-05:00

AUTHORITY IS NOT POWER

Over and over and over again the Howard Universityadministration flies in the face of cherished norms of Academe. They have, forinstance, saddled one department with unqualified or under qualified chairs formore than three decades. They have, for instance, essentially made a mockery ofmerit. The list of instances is very long.

They can do as they please, because they have the authority.They make the rules. However, it is easy for them to forget that whereas Blacksmay rule within the strict confines of the Historically Black College /University (HBCU), they are very minor players in the larger society. Youcan’t, for example, administer a D.C. government grant the same way you wouldadminister an HBCU or one of its colleges or departments. . . . At least, notwith impunity.

The Return of the Oral

2012-01-20T10:33:00.004-05:00

THE RETURN OF THE ORAL

The most exciting section of our O-level and A-level Frenchand Spanish exams was the oral. We would line up outside of a classroomconverted into an interview room to await our turn to spend a few minutesone-on-one with designated oral examiners. It was a marvelous experience for abudding teenage scholar living in a British colony in the 1950s.

The French language section of the Howard UniversityDepartment of World Languages and Cultures has recently reintroduced the oral exam. . . “Plus ça change, plus c’est pareil.”

The Sad Story of Our Brother Professor

2012-01-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

THE SAD STORY OF OUR BROTHER PROFESSOR MARSHALL BANKS

On Friday, January 13, 2012 Professor Marshall Banksaccepted that he, “having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizableby a court of the United States, namely, theft or bribery concerning programsreceiving federal funds, did conceal the same by receiving and re-distributinggrant funds to be misappropriated, and did not as soon as possible make knownthe same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under theUnited States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 4.”

Here at “The Capstone,” there is a tradition of playing fastand loose with established traditions in Academe. We tend to “wing it” when itcomes to matters of established norms. The dangers of this approach do notbecome evident until we carry over this “fuzziness” into other realms. Ourbrother took this “fuzziness” into the world of public finance; and he fellflat on his face.

Lining up for Individualized Instruction

2012-01-19T17:46:00.002-05:00

LINING UP FOR INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION

It makes sense. Students paid for 45 hours of contact with asupposedly qualified and certified instructor. However, there might be as manyas 45 registered students per class. Insuch a case, each student’s tuition only buys one hour of individualizedcontact with a supposedly qualified and certified instructor.

ERGO: It makes sense for an instructor to dedicate a sessionor two to brief one-on-one contact with students, who would reasonably beexpected to line up in the hallway awaiting their turn. Q.E.D.

What Constitutes "Ineffective Teaching"

2012-01-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

WHAT CONSTITUTES “INEFFECTIVE TEACHING”

The administration at “The Capstone” appears to be buildinga case—exclusively through intimidation and innuendo—that popularity with thestudents constitutes “ineffective teaching.” On the other hand, rumor has itthat the same administration fired a certain professor in the School ofBusiness essentially because he was horrendously unpopular with the students.The administration in that case charged the professor with “ineffectiveteaching.”

This kind of schizophrenia is not uncommon here at “The Capstone.”

2012-01-17T08:18:00.003-05:00

SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN THE UNIVERSE OF ACADEME

Do the same laws of supply and demand obtain in therelationship between faculty and students as in the Market? If, say, there werean oversupply of faculty in certain disciplines, would the University be rightin steering students towards taking courses in those disciplines so as toensure full employment for the “redundant” faculty?

If, say, a certain professor’s courses were very popular andwere drawing students away from her/his colleagues’ competing courses, wouldthe University be justified in taking affirmative action to ensure that thenot-so-popular faculty get their fair slice of the pie?

Limonense de 93 años bailarina de tap.mp4

2012-01-14T22:11:00.000-05:00

2012-01-14T08:03:00.006-05:00

RANK HAS NO PRIVILEGE

It appears that in our department academic rank has noprivilege, not now, and, to be frank, not in the last three decades. Some of usold-timers vividly recall the time when a rising “star,” a junior instructorworking on the doctorate in a non-qualifying field, was given authority overseasoned full professors with real doctorates in one of the Romance languages.

Nowadays, anybody, literally, can walk into the classroom inthe role of instructor: from advanced undergraduates to novice graduatestudents.

2012-01-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

WHY IS HOWARD UNIVERSITY LIMITING STUDENTS’ CONTACT WITHPROFESSOR IAN ISIDORE SMART?

The University unilaterally reduced Professor Smart’s springsemester teaching load from three to two courses. Predictably, there are some 300students seeking places in Professor Smart’s Introduction to the Humanitiescourse. The University is now planning an emergency measure of opening threenew sections to handle the eminently foreseeable “overflow” of ProfessorSmart’s students.

This will add an extra $15,000.00 to the University’sdeficit. It will leave scores of dissatisfied students who had paid their hardearned cash and waited patiently for a chance to sit in one of ProfessorSmart’s classes.

2012-01-13T14:09:00.004-05:00

PROFESSORSMART’S INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANITIES COURSES

OVERTHE PAST THREE DECADES PROFESSOR SMART HAS DEVELOPED HIS BRAND OF INTRODUCTIONTO THE HUMANITIES.

LARGENUMBERS OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TRY EVERY SEMESTER TO REGISTER FOR ONE OFHIS INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANITIES COURSES.

HOWEVER,THE UNIVERSITY HAS RELENTLESSLY SOUGHT TO FRUSTRATE THE WISHES OF THESESTUDENTS.

STUDENTSARE CLIENTS WHO HAVE PAID THEIR MONEY FOR A SPECIFIC COURSE.

THEUNIVERSITY IS OBLIGED TO HONOR THE WISHES OF THESE PAYING CLIENTS UNLESS THEREIS SOME COMPELLING REASON FOR NOT SO DOING.

2012-01-10T23:25:00.004-05:00

SOMETHING’S AMISS WITH OUR DEPARTMENT

There are faculty members who have been named, assistant,associate, and even full professor in disciplines in which they have not earnedthe Ph.D.

There are “instructors” given responsibility for collegelevel courses in areas in which they have not even earned a masters degree.

2012-01-10T12:30:00.001-05:00

STUCK ON STUPID, MIREDIN MEDIOCRITY

The Howard Universityadministration, in general, and the administration of the College of Artsand Sciences (COAS), in particular, appear to be stuck on stupid, mired inmediocrity. Their minds are closed to innovation, creativity, adaptation to thedrastically changed sociopolitical and economic order. They are protectionists;they have a blind belief in the quota system, in the entitlement system.

2012-01-10T00:41:00.004-05:00

IT’S TIME FOR DIRECT ACTION

The people who run the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) here atHoward University think that students exist principally to provide employmentfor the faculty and staff. The College administration’s primary goal is, then,to ensure an equitable distribution of students among the existing faculty. Afaculty member is deemed to be selfish if he attracts too many students to hiscourses.

These people have to be out of their minds. The foolishnessmust stop right now. Here’s how:

1) I WILL SIGN EVERY OVERRIDE FORM. It will be unwise andeven of questionable legality for the COAS to fail to honor these signed forms.

2) The only workable solution then would be for the COAS toopen the single section of 014 assigned to me this semester to up to as many as250 students.

3) The COAS will then have to find a site, in, say,Blackburn, large enough for such numbers.

2012-01-06T09:37:00.004-05:00

HELP ME UNDERSTAND

The institution was founded to make higher educationavailable to a population group whose basic humanity had been denied by thevery U.S. Constitution. One of the institution’s senior faculty members—who isa member of the targeted population group—has earned worldwide recognition forhis scholarly work advancing the interest of that very population group. However,the institution not only ignores the contributions of this faculty member, butdoes everything it can to disparage and frustrate his efforts.

2012-01-05T05:21:00.001-05:00

WHAT KIND OF SENSE DOES THAT MAKE?

It’s the very “Capstone” of historically black universities,located in the capital of “greatest democracy the world has ever known." Aftertwo full years of intense deliberations, its new president unveiled his masterplan, his version of a “Project for a New Capstone Century” (better know as pee-car). Fittingly, the Capstone willtake its place at the very pinnacle of Academe in the field of Africana studies.But it will remain totally indebted to Eurocentric scholarship, because it willlimit its role in the study of French, Spanish, Portuguese to simply training “Negroes”to perform as educators at the secondary school level.

2012-01-04T17:46:00.000-05:00

WHERE’S THE TALENT?

Only ten percent of the faculty members of the Department ofWorld Languages and Cultures have been elevated to official graduate faculty status.Apparently, our university retains the administrative relic of an inner circleof academic elites who hold the rank of graduateassistant professor, graduateassociate professor, graduatefull professor (notionally, there could be a graduate lecturer rank as well). These four eliteacademicians would, therefore, constitute our talented tenth.

The question legitimately arises: “WHERE’S THE TALENT?”

SURELY RACE COULD NOT BE A FACTOR

2012-01-03T21:19:00.003-05:00

SURELY RACE COULD NOT BE A FACTOR

Two faculty members of the Howard University Department ofWorld Languages and Cultures have collaborated in the writing of a textbook forthe fourth semester of college Spanish. One of them is a senior full professorof Spanish with over forty years experience, the other, an instructor inSpanish with ten years experience and who is as well a native speaker ofSpanish.

Their book focuses on the central role played by Africa inthe development of Spanish and Latin American civilization. The Department has,however, severely limited student access to this book. Both of the authors areblack; but, surely, this could not be a factor, since Howard is one of thenation’s premiere HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

ONLY IF WE LET THEM

2012-01-03T06:16:00.003-05:00

ONLY IF WE LET THEM

THEY cannot oppress you, unless you LET THEM. A fundamentalplank in their program of oppression is the strategy of putting the mostincompetent boy in charge and filling his head with all manner of speciousassertions about his “merits.”

All that the oppressed have to do is to take a close look atthe alleged “merits” of the “leader” installed by the ruling elite. The HowardUniversity faculty did precisely that when it essentially repudiated the newpresident’s much vaunted program for “renewing” the institution. The exposed“leader” seems to be trying to make his chosen chief lieutenant, the provost, into the fall guy.

The fatally flawed “leader” and those who put him in chargewill get away with this trick, ONLY IF WE LET THEM.

BOTCHING THE SCHEDULE

2011-11-17T22:06:00.001-05:00

BOTCHING THE SCHEDULE SEMESTER AFTER FREAKING SEMESTER

This is why the OHU/P = DDDD + A. Scores of studentsscrambling to get a full load, hounding down professors to sign their“OVERRIDES.” Good God Almighty! How can an administration be so incompetent!

It’s way past time for this DISASTER OF A DEAN TO DEMIT.

2011-11-17T12:29:00.001-05:00

MORE ON “OHU/P = DDDD + A”

There appears to have been a consensus among the seniorfaculty of the College of Arts and Science (COAS) that James Donaldson was oneof the weakest candidates for the post of dean when he was so appointed duringthe Swygert administration. Consequently, the appointment was seen as a cunningmove by Swygert to take full control of the College by placing a “straw man” atits helm. Therefore, it was generally believed that with Swygert’s ousting, thenew president would replace the “straw man.”

Apparently, it served the interests of the new president,Sydney Ribeau, to keep the “straw man” in his post as chief executive officer (CEO)of COAS. It might be in Ribeau’s interest, but clearly not in the interest ofthe 99 percent to have an underperforming CEO of the college that serves as thevery backbone of the Capstone.