The SIT, a most remarkable institution

Would you believe a fully accredited college situated at the end of the world that charges no fees, offers degrees up to doctoral level and is headquartered in a town of only 54,000 people? And it even has a respectable score in the world university rankings

Such is the Southern Institute of Technology, headquarterd in Invercargill, New Zealand. Invercargill is about as close as you can get to Antarctica and still live a normal life. As Invercargill is close to the sea, its temperatures are moderated somewhat, nothing like low Canadian extremes

I have family in town at the moment who live in Invercagill so that has sparked my interest in the SIT

The SIT has a number of campuses in addition to the one at Invercargill, notably one at Queenstown and a small tentacle at Christhurch. And all of them are "free" to NZ citizens. They also have around 2,000 overseas students who pay, but mostly not very much -- around $US15,000 per year. The overseas students come mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, which are warm countries. Invercargil must be a shock

And the SIT has a rank of 400+ in the world university rankings. Not bad when you know that is out of about 11,000 colleges worldwide. The major NZ universities score around 200+ but none are up to the standard of its big neighbour. There are two Australian universities in the top 50 worldwide. I went to one.

The courses listed on the Invercargill campus offer a wide range of technical subjects plus some degree courses. You can become a degree-level nurse, teacher or accountant, for instance

You could certainly do worse than to take courses from SIT. They are fully recognized by the NZ accreditation authorities

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Rice University unveils 'Afrochemistry' class that will 'explore the intersection of racial justice and chemistry'

Rice University is offering an 'Afrochemistry' class that promises to analyze science through a 'contemporary African-American lens'.

Marketed as 'the study of black-life matter', a play on words merging science jargon with the Black Lives Matter movement, the course begins this semester.

The course description on the university's website explains students will 'apply chemical tools and analysis to understand black life in the US' and 'implement African American sensibilities to analyze chemistry'.

'Diverse historical and contemporary scientists, intellectuals, and chemical discoveries will inform personal reflections and proposals for addressing inequities in chemistry and chemical education,' it read.

Brooke Johnson, a Rice graduate with a PhD in chemistry from Princeton hired last August as part of the university's DEI department, will teach the class.

Her university bio lists her as a 'preceptor' and post-doctoral fellow who was a former track athlete at Rice until her graduation in 2017.

'Dr Johnson is passionate about the intersection of science and social justice and using her unique experiences to teach, support and inspire diverse students,' it read.

A flyer advertising a preview for the class at the private university in Houston used a cartoon of a student with an afro hairstyle pondering questions the course would address.

They included 'what does it look like to do science on ones own terms?', 'what does justice look like in chemistry?' and 'how does our society shape the science we do?'

The flyer explained the course would 'explore the intersection of racial justice and chemistry'.

'We will approach chemistry using a historical and contemporary African American lens in order to analyze science and its impact,' it read.

'In addition, we will be using chemical concepts to better understand Black life in the US. As we consider not only what science is being discovered, but also ask why, how and by whom, etc.

'This course will empower students to consider approaches to STEM that enhance community impact.'

The class does not give any credits for a chemistry major, but does court towards an African and African-American studies minor.

The description noted 'no prior knowledge of chemistry or African American studies is required' and there is no final exam.

Several commentators online, including at the Wall Street Journal, noted the course was the latest example of questionable classes blending science with identity politics popping up at American universities.

What the class would actually teach in practice was not entirely clear from the description, particularly how much hard science it would involve.

Academics discussed whether the course was likely to be geared towards scientific study or the discussion of racial politics in the field of chemistry, or a mix of both.

Some were concerned the study of science would be diluted by identity politics, but others speculated it could be helpful to get black students studying chemistry.

'While the title of the course is a bit wince-inducing, I don’t think the course will necessarily be a bad thing,' one wrote on an online forum.

'I can imagine there being a number of legitimate scientific issues that might especially impact African-Americans and their environments.'

Another pointed out that as a first generation college student in a field with few black scientists, Dr Johnson was an ideal person to discuss how race affected what was studied in chemistry.

'Whose proposals get grants and funding, and what values are represented? Who is positioned to make these influential decisions? Is the possible impact on society considered in these decisions?' they explained.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12965067/rice-university-afrochemistry-course-african-american.html

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Jewish parents in uproar as Ann Arbor school board prepares to vote on resolution calling for Israel-Gaza ceasefire

Parents of young children at a Michigan school are objecting against its decision to vote on a resolution calling for Israel-Gaza ceasefire.

The school board at Ann Arbor Public Schools is set to vote on the resolution today despite parents, taxpayers and community members demanding an immediate withdrawal.

The resolution states that it is 'important for educational institutions to acknowledge global events and their impact on students, staff, and families, especially those from affected regions.'

It also asks that teachers in the school's district begin to conduct 'informed and respectful dialogue about the conflict, aiming to foster a deeper understanding among students and staff'.

Apart from demanding a 'bilateral ceasefire', the resolution also condemns Islamophobia and antisemitism.

Three members of the board said they support the cease-fire resolution, two remain skeptical and the remaining two said they need more time to hear from constituents at the previous meeting.

One of the supportive members is the board president, Rima Mohammad who said that the cease-fire resolution was 'symbolic.'

She said: 'The Israel-Gaza war is definitely something we have to address, especially because I do believe the ongoing conflict abroad is leading to an increase in racism and discrimination locally. The Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, Israelis are all hurting.'

One of the board's Jewish members also supports the resolution.

Jeff Gaynor, a retired social studies teacher who wrote his own curriculum on Israeli-Palestinian issues said 'he trusted educators to not venture beyond their expertise'.

But parents such as Sharon Sorkin disagree with the board and say that the school has no role in this.

She said: 'We all want to heal and we all want peace. But I don't believe that a resolution that a local school board passes is going to create peace in the Middle East.

'And what I've seen is that what this board has done this far and it certainly has not created peace in our community. It has actually created a lot of unrest in our community.

'My hope is that we can convince the board no to move forward with it and maybe our community can find its own peace.'

The petition which was launched by Ann Arbor constituents states that the 'board is not the appropriate forum for addressing these international and humanitarian crises'.

It also demand that they return to prioritizing education rather than involve itself in global issues.

The petition clarifies that the proposed resolution is out of the board's scope, creates a dangerous precedent, divisive and is unnecessarily creating a burden on students and teachers.

This comes a month after the University of Michigan prevented student government from voting on several cease-fire statements. The students launched an elaborate pro-Palestine protest in response.

The petition currently has 1,843 signatures out of its goal of 2,500

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12974599/Michigan-board-resolution-ceasefire-parents.html

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My other blogs: Main ones below

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)

http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs

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