Columbia University Tells Students Not To Ignore Wikileaks
from the good-for-them dept
Columbia University got some attention last week for telling students in its School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) that the Career Services office had heard from an alum in the State Department suggesting that students who hoped to work for the State Department should avoid discussing the Wikileaks cable leaks publicly. As we noted, this seemed ridiculous. The folks who are most interested in international diplomacy are the folks who are most likely to be discussing this very issue. Thankfully, the University has apparently realized how bad this looks and has sent out a second letter saying that it supports free speech and open discussion and encourages people to freely discuss whatever it is they want:Freedom of information and expression is a core value of our institution. Thus, SIPA's position is that students have a right to discuss and debate any information in the public arena that they deem relevant to their studies or to their roles as global citizens, and to do so without fear of adverse consequences. The WikiLeaks documents are accessible to SIPA students (and everyone else) from a wide variety of respected sources, as are multiple means of discussion and debate both in and outside of the classroom.The Wired article linked above also notes that a professor in the program, Gary Sick, who has been a noted critic of Wikileaks, was an even bigger critic of the original email that was sent out:
"If anyone is a master's student in international relations and they haven't heard of WikiLeaks and gone looking for the documents that relate to their area of study, then they don't deserve to be a graduate student in international relations."He apparently also told Wired that asking students to ignore the whole thing was "absurd." If only the actual folks in the federal government viewed things the same way.
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Filed Under: columbia, free speech, wikileaks
Companies: wikileaks
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Very nice to hear - that was exactly the first thing I thought. If a bunch of secret Google code got leaked online somehow, should computer science students pretend it didn't? Or if the plans for a next-gen concept car got leaked, should industrial design and engineering students ignore it? No. Any who did would be instantly falling behind. I think it's generally agreed that one of the core elements of success in any field is being absolutely ravenous about finding new information.
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Re:
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The Purpose of Government
To consolidate, centralize, and increase power for it's own sake.
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Impact of reduced workforce
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Re: Impact of reduced workforce
This silliness reminds me of the three monkeys, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Although subject to various interpretations, the one I am thinking of is called - Willful ignorance. Ignoring what is right in front of you is quite arrogant and can led to disasterous results.
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Re: Re: Impact of reduced workforce
> in government who parrot it or attempt to
> enforce it.
Perhaps, but since such questions *are* asked on pre-employment polygraph tests, it's hardly out of line for someone to warn prospective employees about the situation.
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Re: Re: Re: Impact of reduced workforce
If you have read wikileaks and they ask, you should be honest about it - no big deal. The FUD being spread about future employment which requires a clearance is just a bunch of BS.
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Re: Impact of reduced workforce
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great marketing
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Polygraph questions
If you make an appointment with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, they'll teach you how to pass your polygraph exam.
Don't go with the Chinese. I know their rates are cheaper, but their course material is all in Engrish. Taking the Chinese polygraph course is like figuring out the instructions on your VCR. The Russian polygraph course is high class—guaranteed to teach you how to pass your polygraph exam on your first try! Or your money back.
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CAR MOVING
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