TO THE EDITOR:
Thank goodness we finally have a University of North Carolina Board of Governors with the courage to do the right thing.
Their inquisition of UNC-system centers focuses on a problem that has plagued the UNC system for years — support for outdated ideas like civil “rights” and education about the cultures of women, workers and people of color.
With leadership from the BOG the university system can rid itself of these disruptive influences that undermine the rightful place of rich, white men as the true leaders of society.
And speaking of rich, white men, the BOG can address another serious problem — the low self-esteem of wealthy businessmen. There are far too many buildings and schools in the UNC system that have not yet been named for wealthy individuals and companies.
Fancy plaques, lavish banquets, named professorships, obsequious press releases and other glorification of the fantastic wealth of corporate philanthropists can help address a serious mental-health issue. Furthermore, funding UNC through wealthy donors helps protect the University from the influence of elected officials who control tax dollars.
The BOG can also position UNC to better promote corporate profits. They can rid the system of programs that do not properly train students to work for corporations and follow orders. This can be promoted by ensuring that donors who represent corporate interests get to influence the membership of advisory boards and other positions within the University.
The greatest insight of the new BOG is the need to counter the most serious threat posed by the UNC system: the idea that young people should learn to think for themselves and speak their minds. This is why the idea of recruiting a new president from the ranks of the military or business is so brilliant. These are cultures where people who don’t follow orders from above are easily disciplined or fired.
As for firing, the BOG has shown its mettle with the forced termination of the president of the university system. If they can fire a politically powerful leader for no cause, imagine the success they will have with lower-level faculty who lack political clout! And they need only fire a few of these: The rest will quickly fall into line behind the BOG’s agenda.
