Under the Kansas Board of Regents‘ brave new social media policy, the faculty and staff of Kansas universities must make sure that their speech is harmonious, loyal, and conducive to discipline.  So, the Kansas Board of Regents’ Committee for Harmony, Loyalty and Discipline is here to help you monitor speech. Our staff artist, Comrade Warner, has created these four handy visual aids – all designed to be printed as 24″ x 36″ posters. These come to you under Creative Commons: so, please print, make posters, put on t-shirts, remix, distribute.
Remember: Report speech that may promote disloyalty. Report suspect faculty immediately. Surveillance is freedom!
For more information, here’s
Philip Nel
Philip Nel is Professor of English and Director of Kansas State University’s Program in Children’s Literature. His most recent books are Keywords for Children’s Literature 2nd edition (2021, co-edited with Lissa Paul and Nina Christensen), Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature and the Need for Diverse Books (2017), Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (2012), Tales for Little Rebels (2008, co-edited with Julia Mickenberg), The Annotated Cat (2007), and four volumes of Crockett Johnson's comic strip Barnaby (2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, all co-edited with Eric Reynolds).
I am sure most Lawrencians know this already, but ACME can print any image on a tshirt and will keep images on file.
Threads in Aggieville in Manhattan can do the same.
As can Able Printing in Aggieville – I forgot about Able Printing being able to print t-shirts.
The images, the talking devil, would make killer social media icons, as well. I may have to do that if I get tired of the CHLD logo. Though I’m having a hard time imagining myself getting tired of the CHLD logo at the moment.
Hi Phil,
Wondering what you think about this in light of KBOR’s social media policy? Would the student’s speech come in for KBOR’s “discipline, sanction, and termination?” (I say “their, because I imagine that “the CEO” can at least in theory function as a cover for what they want to do to whoever, whenever they want to do it). Would it depend on whether KBOR didn’t like the professor based on what the student charged? I’m asking, because I suspect that the primary target of KBOR’s policy is the faculty. The staff are second down the list. Students are last, simply because their “revenue” now funds the “operation” of the Kansas system. We’re not in one of those states that has recognized that maybe there are negative consequences to cutting higher education and thus have restored some taxes to help pay for it.
So, I’m wondering what you think?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/05/23/professor-sues-student-over-his-online-reviews-her-course#sthash.9QSA9lK3.dpbs
Check it out.
Debbie: If the student were also an employee of the university in question, then the KBOR’s social media policy could be applied to the student’s speech. If the student were not an employee, then the KBOR’s social media policy would not apply.
However, as you say, the KBOR (like members of the legislature and the governor) have to pretend to care about students. Since the legislature keeps cutting money from education (at all levels), the students are footing more and more of the bill. One does not wish to alienate one’s consumer base (a.k.a. the students).
That said, the plan to redistribute wealth to the wealthiest (thanks, Gov. Brownback) may ultimately alienate the voters who supported these candidates — in which case, there may be a change in policy. Or, it may not alienate those voters. We’ll see in November.