Academy of Art University

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melquiades
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Academy of Art University

Post by melquiades »

I'm interested in the opinions of Morning Improv readers on this incident (<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... L">info</a>, <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... .DTL">more info</a>).

How much right should an administration have to punish students for the content of their coursework, where no cheating is involved and no laws are broken?

How much right should an administration have to refuse professors to invite speakers of their choosing?

What would the correct response from the administration have been?

What can we, the artistic community, do about it? (One idea: share your thoughts with the college's head of public relations, <a href="mailto:shuntting@academyart.edu">shuntting@academyart.edu</a>
nvonflue

Post by nvonflue »

Thanks for posting the email link to Sally Huntting! One e-mail has been sent...

Neal
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Post by Rip Tanion »

Scott McCloud wrote:What the @#$%&! is happening to our country??
Nothing new, really. For years now, we've had some conservatives who want to stamp out indecency, and some liberals who want to stamp out political incorrectness. Violence usually falls under both categories, and has long been targeted by both groups.

This has been going on forever, and will probably keep going on forever. You're always going to have people who want to impose their morality, or idealogy, on others. No matter which of the candidates we elect President this year; no matter which party we give the majority to in Congress, censorship, of one form or another, will still be with us.

That said, there's a possibilty that this student is seriously disturbed, and needs a bit of psychotherapy. Either that or he's a joker with a sick sense of humor, in which case the guy maybe needs a slap on wrist. In my opinion, a failing grade on the assignment would have been more appropriate than expullsion. Of course, I haven't read the story. For all I know, it might have been a good story, despite all the mishugas.

Who knows? Maybe things are different than when I went to art school, over a decade ago. When I went to S.V.A., in Manahattan, I did a story for Gahan Wilson's class that combined my three favorite comic book genres: Superheroes, MAD type satire, and Underground Comix. The result was a story about a guy who gets counter-culture superpowers from smoking radioactive hashish*. The comic was filled with drug references, and lots of pot smoking. Wilson wound up giving me an A. Of course, that's also because my story had a plot and was funny. Still, I wonder if I were an Art Student today, what would happen to me. I guess it all depends on the school, and who's teaching the class.

* steal that idea from me, and I'll hunt you down, and kill you like a dog. 8) What? You think I'm kiddin'?
"Park the beers, and grab the smiles. It's flight time." - LtCdr. J. Robert "Bobby" Stone, USN (R.I.P.)
Veleno
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Post by Veleno »

After reading the article I must say that I am completely against the university's decision to expel the kid and fire the teacher. One would think that an art school would be one of the biggest supporters of creative freedom. If they were concerned, they should have sent him to be checked by a licensed psychiatrist, not call the cops on him.
"The way to a man's heart is through his ribcage"
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