The petition
INTRODUCTION
A group of 130 faculty members at Southern Methodist University (SMU), Dallas, Texas, have signed and launched an online petition, formulated as an Open Letter, asking their president and trustees to turn down the politically partisan institute that George W. Bush seeks to include in his presidential library complex on their campus.
You’re invited to join in protesting the imposition of a politically partisan think tank on a school campus, and to stand in solidarity with SMU faculty members. This petition borrows language from their Open Letter.
To view the Open Letter (& the Charter Signatories), go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/...
ALL CURRENT & RETIRED PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, RESEARCHERS, ADMINISTRATORS WORKING WITH ANY AGE LEVEL ARE INVITED TO SIGN
THE PETITION
We, the undersigned, join with SMU professors and others who object to imposing a politically partisan institute on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) as part of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
A politically partisan think tank located at any school, college, or university is contradictory to education as approached within free and democratic societies. The precedent set by it would put academic freedom at risk for faculty at all educational institutions, as well as SMU.
Researchers hired by the institute to pursue the partisan agenda set by George W. Bush will borrow on SMU's credibility in the Academy, while remaining completely unaccountable for their scholarly activity. Therefore we agree that the Bush Foundation should be legally barred from interpreting the institute as SMU-based, or related to SMU in any official way.
We agree that the institute should be completely firewalled from SMU, meaning that no institutional or academic arrangements should exist between SMU and the institute.
Unless the institute is geographically separate from the library and museum, and built away from the campus, it will create the public appearance of being an official academic unit of SMU, undermine SMU's capacity to attract certain high caliber faculty members and students, and lower its academic respectability.
We join in saying a resounding NO to locating a politically partisan institute on the campus of Southern Methodist University or on the campus of any university or school in these United States, or in any free and democratic society around the globe.
KEEP IN MIND . . . . .
IT'S CRUCIAL TO THE WEIGHT THIS PETITION WILL CARRY THAT YOU LIST YOUR INSTITUTION (unless there's important reason you cannot).
A comment as to why you support the petition will add even further weight. Thank you !
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*** IMPORTANT NOTICE ***
When you hit the "Sign Petition" button below, your signature is instantly recorded (the arrows on the right side of the button DO NOT mean that you must go to the next page to sign).
DO NOT BE MISLED BY THE PAGE THAT APPEARS AFTER YOU HIT THE "SIGN PETITION" BUTTON. The minute the donation page appears, you've already successfully signed the petition. At this point, simply close the page and the process is complete.
Sign the petition
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