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EDITORIAL: Sound decision by the chancellor
There is no right to be irresponsible at government expense.
IN THIS SPACE, we often have been critical of the University of Wisconsin System and some of the outrageous, out-of-touch decisions and policies of its leaders.
So it's only fair to offer praise when a UW administrator clearly does the right thing.
Today, we tip our caps to Bruce Shepard, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He made the courageous decision to put principle and good taste above the predictable responses of his faculty.
HERE'S THE STORY. In an exhibit planned for the campus, there was a work entitled "Patriot Act," which depicted President Bush with a gun pointed at his head.
The obvious implication: Shooting Bush would be an act of patriotism.
Shepard banned "Patriot Act" from the exhibit, thereby earning him the scorn of various faculty members and students who accused the chancellor of engaging in censorship and violating both the First Amendment and academic freedoms.
THAT, OF COURSE, is absurd. Artists are free to create whatever they want. Artists do not, however, have the right for their works to be displayed. The UW is supported by taxpayer dollars. Citizens should expect decision-makers to be respectful of good taste and principles of fair play and non-violence.
Shepard made the right decision, to uphold the values most Americans cherish.
Wishing Bush gone is any American's freedom.
Wishing Bush dead crosses the line.
IN THIS SPACE, we often have been critical of the University of Wisconsin System and some of the outrageous, out-of-touch decisions and policies of its leaders.
So it's only fair to offer praise when a UW administrator clearly does the right thing.
Today, we tip our caps to Bruce Shepard, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He made the courageous decision to put principle and good taste above the predictable responses of his faculty.
HERE'S THE STORY. In an exhibit planned for the campus, there was a work entitled "Patriot Act," which depicted President Bush with a gun pointed at his head.
The obvious implication: Shooting Bush would be an act of patriotism.
Shepard banned "Patriot Act" from the exhibit, thereby earning him the scorn of various faculty members and students who accused the chancellor of engaging in censorship and violating both the First Amendment and academic freedoms.
THAT, OF COURSE, is absurd. Artists are free to create whatever they want. Artists do not, however, have the right for their works to be displayed. The UW is supported by taxpayer dollars. Citizens should expect decision-makers to be respectful of good taste and principles of fair play and non-violence.
Shepard made the right decision, to uphold the values most Americans cherish.
Wishing Bush gone is any American's freedom.
Wishing Bush dead crosses the line.
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