Freedom/Liberty SD Gov: Says No To Forced Speech - Tells Higher Ed Board To Remove Pronoun Mandate

'South Dakota Governor Tells Higher Education Board To Remove Mandates On Preferred Pronouns'


Draws The Line On Authoritarian Woke Madness.

"For the last several decades, many states have allowed liberal ideologies to poison their universities and colleges... Professors have discarded reason and logic in favor of subjectivity and relativism."

We Could Be Looking At DeSantis' VP.

'South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem challenged the board to a series of actions to “show the nation what quality higher education is supposed to look like.”'

It's supposed to look World Class

'Remove all mandates that compel people to use preferred pronouns."

The first priority for the 'board should aim to raise graduation rates across its six universities to 65 percent by 2028, compared to the current graduation rate of 47 percent. Meanwhile, in 2020, the national graduation rate was 63 percent.'

Giving regular folks the same choices that the Privileged Gentry have on school choice:

'“At the K-12 level, we are taking steps to improve our standards and expand school choice in South Dakota so that all kids have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for whatever comes next after high school,” Noem told the board.

Preparing Students To Meet The World With Confidence after graduation.

Graduations rates at the moment present a real opportunity for improvement.

'Higher education leaders have rejected universal truth and knowledge and replaced it with ‘individual truth.'”

We already have a word for "individual truth" it's 'anecdotal.'

She is determined to have students that “have been taught the importance of diversity and equity and given access to ‘safe spaces’, instead, to learn to tolerate the disagreement, discomfort, and dissent that they will experience in the real world.”'

She's 4 years in, I suspect that she is learning what is possible by watching Ron DeSantis. One interesting difference is that she is trying to accomplish this through orders, whereas Ron DeSantis sets the table through legislation. But, at least she is getting into the fight.

'Regarding preferred pronouns, she wrote that mandating them at some campuses has “compelled and coerced” some students to “provide speech they do not agree with.”'

'“Students should have the ability to exercise their right to free speech. Colleges and universities should never compel students to speak or take a position on any issue,” the governor said.

She has also established a whistleblower hotline where 'students, faculty members, parents, or taxpayers, can report concerns at institutions of higher education in the state, by calling 605-773-5916.'

She's seems to be playing some catch up here. It was only recently that the 'Black Hills State University' finally 'removed a policy that allowed administrators to silence opinions they disagreed with.' It's very important that 'colleges and universities' discontinue 'infringing on students’ right to free speech and adopt policies that “develop and strengthen resilience among students” for when they encounter opposing ideas.'

She is also championing a closer partnership 'with businesses on registered apprenticeship programs and offer the lowest possible credit rates.' Currently 'roughly 43 percent of students who graduated find themselves unemployed or underemployed.'

Please discuss and share your thoughts.

 

most call people by their names, not pronouns, so this should be a rare issue unless one is repeatedly doing it to harass a student anyways

I would not mandate pronouns, but I would mandate no harassment of students

Unintentional mistakes can and will be made and should not be punished, harassment should be punished

"'“Students should have the ability to exercise their right to free speech. Colleges and universities should never compel students to speak or take a position on any issue,” the governor said."

so swearing in class should be allowed, calling the teacher names should be allowed? or do we have some restrictions?

Teachers and students should be respectful to each other

 

In before a Lefty tells us how much preferred pronouns don’t matter while curiously not telling Leftists across education the same thing.

 

More virtue signaling to the base. Seems like this works to become a star in today's Trump party.

Maybe, instead of focusing on pronouns, she could work on public universities in South Dakota (and private ones too), not being $hit. The biggest SD university has an acceptance rate of 87% and a graduation rate of 57%. LOL. It's no wonder that graduates from these universities don't have the easiest times to find jobs. It's no wonder, though, because SD is mainly a service jobs economy, no need for college degrees.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Black Hills. However, we don't need to make SD an example of how to run the US government.

 

I assume that any professor who demands to be referred to as Dr., can't do anything about it if the student calls them by their first name?

If there is no forced speech in SD, I assume no one will be held in contempt of court for calling Judges by their first name in court.

 

Perfect. Then being unable to mandate preferred pronouns shouldn't be a problem.

 

I dunno, i'm sure referring to a judge as Bob in court will still get you in trouble.

 

By using law to limit words you create a barrier to free speech.

 

Are you brand new to Separation of Powers? What makes you think that the Executive Branch has the power to dictate to the Judicial Branch how they are to be addressed? If there is something in the SD constitution that grants the Executive that power, please link to it with a pull quote.

 

What law is creating a barrier? If anything, forced speech is being removed. Why not applaud that?

 

So South Dakota still has forced speech it appears.

 

The freedom to use any pronoun you choose to describe yourself or describe others.

 

So fine. Let them. Who said they couldn't? But in your mind, it's hate if you call the guy in the dress out for being a guy? And you'd punish folks for it? That seems pretty authoritarian, and antithetical to this ability to allow others the same privilege of speech you suggest we have to allow you and yours. Oh, and just to clarify here, everyone enjoys this because it is a right, not a privilege. And because it is a right, it also means that you cannot require the speech you want from others.

 

The actual letter comes across as primarily political grandstanding than any real proposals to improve education. I mean, it's only eight points covering the entirety of higher education in the state yet he uses three of them for banning drag shows, dismissing preferred pronouns and a generic China scare. There is nothing concrete about why their graduation rates are apparently lower than the national average and little detail about how that could actually be improved.

I'd question the idea any of this is really about supporting free speech when at the same time he's demanding an unconditional ban on drag shows.

And also, could it be said there is something of a contradiction between him talking about students "learning to tolerate the disagreement, discomfort and dissent" with a "whistleblower hotline" for anyone to report anything they don't like (as long as it aligns with what he doesn't like of course)?

Maybe you're right and this is about putting himself forwards for a VP candidacy but that would just make it even clearer that none of this is about actually improving education outcomes in South Dakota.

(I also hope you saw what I did there, and apparently there is nothing wrong with it )

 

They mandate the honorific, or it's custom?