Apparently only the diverse viewpoint that is complimentary to the diversity program will be allowed to be spread to the student body. An email sent out to all students. All following words in bold or italics are my own:
Dean Burnett,
It is important for you to know that there are many students in our law school who are supportive of your position and the upcoming diversity dialogues. Many of us were surprised, disappointed, and shocked (among other things) that our colleagues drafted a letter to our state legislators to complain about this situation. There are many students who share the opinion that the letter represented a minority among us, although it reflected poorly on all of us. While we are each entitled to our opinions on the upcoming dialogues, we’d like the legislators to also hear from those of us who are supportive of you, our law school, and the diversity dialogues – what we suspect is the majority view.
Colleagues,
Many have expressed their dissatisfaction with the email and attached letter from the Idaho legislature that we received on Monday. As has been suggested, a letter that voices support for Dean Burnett and the upcoming diversity dialogues is being drafted. If you would like to add your name to the growing list of signatures to be included with the letter of support to the state legislature, please let me know.
Warmest regards,
[name omitted by TLS]
Mind you multiple letters have been sent to the Dean against this mandatory training event, none of which have been cleared to find their way mass emailed to the student body at large. I may also add a link I see from an unsubstantiated assertion in the letter that it is apparently the “majority view” that is supporting mandating attendance and OWS’s 99%. Beyond including people who likely do not wish to be included, it also demonstrates a lack of confidence in the position to rely upon having a majority.
Additionally, a question was sent to the Dean by a student: I got a question from a student regarding Dean Morant’s email. Specifically, the “As you are inclined, please feel free to stay or leave during the dialogues,” part of it, and what that means to the mandatory attendance. How should I answer this and questions of the like?
Dean Burnett’s response: The answer is that if an individual signs in and attends a session up to the time when Dean Morant announces that folks are free to stay or leave, the individual will be deemed to have satisfied the attendance requirement (and will receive the certificate). And avoid the memo on their student record that will be reviewed by the bar.
It appears at the least that Dean Burnett (who has at times served as the professor of the Professional Responsibility class) could take a lesson from Dean Morant about the use of threats and its place in a professional dialogue.
Now, if you were patient enough to work through this you deserve to be awarded with a completely unrelated video to erode any sense of seriousness in my post. So how about something about how Superman is the lamest super hero in history:
