For decades, sexism in higher education has been blamed for blocking women from landing academic positions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. But a new study by Cornell psychologists suggests that era has ended, finding in experiments with professors from 371 colleges and universities across the United States that science and engineering faculty preferred women two-to-one over identically qualified male candidates for assistant professor positions.

Don't Let Administrators, Student SJWs, and Professors Silence You

The members of the University enjoy certain rights and privileges essential to the fulfilment of its primary functions: instruction and the pursuit of knowledge. Central among these rights is the freedom, within the law, to pursue what seems to them as fruitful avenues of inquiry, to teach and to learn unhindered by external or non-academic constraints, and to engage in full and unrestricted consideration of any opinion. This freedom extends not only to the regular members of the University, but to all who are invited to participate in its forum. Suppression of this freedom, whether by institutions of the state, the officers of the University, or the actions of private individuals, would prevent the University from carrying out its primary functions. All members of the University must recognize this fundamental principle and must share responsibility for supporting, safeguarding and preserving this central freedom. Behaviour that obstructs free and full discussion, not only of ideas that are safe and accepted, but of those which may be unpopular or even abhorrent, vitally threatens the integrity of the University's forum. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated.

SEND TO: Dr. Paul G. Harrison

EMAIL: paulharr@mail.ubc.ca

Chair, Vancouver Senate Academic Policy Committee Vice-chair, Vancouver Senate Agenda Committee.

Yet, in the year 2020, almost half a century after the Senate approved a Women’s Studies program, UBC still has no course on males and male issues, on either campus. I cannot find serious equitable coverage of the Men’s Movement at UBC. Males have social justice issues too (see for example the paper by Samuel Vincent Jones, “ Men and Boys and the EthicalDemand for Social Justice ”). Yet male social justice issues get little real attention from the social-justice left. Indeed, there seems to be hostility toward the idea of addressing male issues.I am one of the most prolific men’s rights activists in the Canadian higher education system: I have drafted and filed 10 anti-male (with some anti-white component) discrimination claims against the University of British Columbia, including, in no particular order:Against Faculty Women's Club, for apparently excluding men; there is no Faculty Men’s Club, and if there were such a Club, it would probably be attacked as sexist.Against the existence of the Women Students' Lounge, in Brock Hall, Vancouver campus; there is no such Men's Lounge anywhere at UBC, and the female student majority not only has this Lounge in Brock Hall, but also still has the AMS Women’s Centre in the Nest. Let me add, the AMS Women’s Centre apparently pays no rent, and has received approximately $100,000 in funding just in the decade from (2008 to 2018); this is an unjustified female privilege, especially in light of the fact that females are the majority in the Canadian higher education system.Against inequity in gender-exclusive (or favouring) funding sources, an inequity which favours women at UBC currently.Against affirmative action program in Engineering '50/50 by 2020' including entrance scholarships worth up to $10,000 each for women only, while nothing comparable (including gender-parity goal) exists for men at the University as a whole, or at e.g. Nursing, Social Work, and Education.For being unjustly arrested at the missing and murdered women conference at UBC following asking questions including advocating for male Indigenous victims.Against UBC’s new Sexual Misconduct Policy, especially the commitment to the 'rape culture' theory.Against Women’s Only Fitness Hours with UBC Recreation.Against hiring discrimination facing (white) males especially in Nursing, specifically the position with Job ID #35833, Assistant Professor (tenure-track); this job posting includes apparent misapplication of the BC Human Rights Code.Against the Social Justice Institute (Vancouver) and Gender and Women's Studies (Okanagan), for lack of any course on male issues, or equivalent, including especially equitable coverage of the Men's Movement and its sub-movements; ideally, I would like UBC to create a 'Male Studies' course on both campuses.Against the Rise Women's Legal Centre: a family law focused legal clinic co-founded by UBC's law school, and staffed apparently in part by UBC Law students, this clinic apparently categorically excludes male clients, such that all males no matter how needy are rejected from receiving aid.The systemic ideological corruption I am facing doing this activism is intense, and I will tell you, the freedom to explore and criticize social injustice against males is also very important. If the 1976 Senate statement on freedom of speech is modified, this could affect students who may, for example, want to invite a men’s movement speaker to UBC in the future. I could possibly add more specific issues, but I will leave it at that, and sum this list of controversial topics by saying that there are definitely issues especially on race, sexuality, gender, and social justice, being ignored and suppressed at UBC. Some departments and offices are definitely more guilty than others. We need to protect the 1976 Senate-approved statement on academic freedom, so free speech activists, and other students, can keep having the freedom to open up topics being ignored, and suppressed, by the University establishment.Who am I? Again, my name is Franz Kurtzke. I am a Philosophy student and activist at UBC, on free speech and men’s rights issues/male social justice issues. My activism has been covered in the Globe & Mail and Vancouver Sun, and I’ve been interviewed by governmentradio, and I’ve been reported about in the Ubyssey at least 10 times , if I remember correctly. During my time at UBC I’ve been involved in protest lettering, student politics (ran for an AMS position), and I named and advised the UBC Students for Freedom of Expression. For this group, I recommended and invited speaking guests including Dr. Ricardo Duchesne. I also invited and recommended Dr. Frances Widdowson (co-author of). I also recommended and invited as a speaker, UBC alumnus Armin Navabi (ex-Muslim founder of Atheist Republic). Plus, I was involved in co-sponsoring and co-hosting feminist Meghan Murphy. My friend Dr. Janice Fiamengo, who is a UBC alumna, former professor from the University of Ottawa, will be speaking at UBC in March, on the topic: "Is Intersectional Feminism Incompatible with Freedom of Expression?” Tickets are available through the UBC Students for Freedom of Expression.Why am I telling you this? I am in a unique position. I've been an activist at UBC for over 2 years in some unusual areas, and nobody else at UBC is willing to show up in public and talk about these topics. Overall, I want to inform you that UBC is planning to review the 1976 statement on academic freedom. UBC currently has strong academic freedom protections, including enabling (at least in theory, is my understanding) students to invite controversial speakers to campus. In this way, students can have an active role in expanding the campus discourse beyond what UBC is providing. Students can insist that we continue to have the freedom to be able to address in public events, as part of our educational experience, the kinds of issues many of us are already thinking and talking about in private.However, let me say from years of experience that the campus social-justice left and radical intersectional feminists would like to impose more restrictions on our campus freedoms, ideally to ban discussion of certain controversial topics on campus (including at least some of the topics I’ve mentioned.) They want to silence their intellectual opponents, instead of engaging with them by asking questions and debating them. Silencing your intellectual opponents is bad for viewpoint diversity on campus, and the quality of education at UBC; it is not helpful to ban views outside of standard ‘progressive’ orthodoxies, both because it is important to learn the skill of debating your intellectual opponents instead of censoring them, and also because there may be useful information beyond these rigid (sometimes almost religious) social justice belief systems of the campus progressive left, and their theories need to be responsive to evolving science, and open critical discussion. Above all, this is a battle for the soul of UBC.What can be done? First, familiarize yourself with the current (1976) statement on academic freedom. This passage is worth quoting at length:If you want to protect students’ freedoms to encourage wider exploration of views than UBC is providing, then you should consider contacting the working group reviewing the statement, sending an email to the address indicated on the papers being handed out by my friends, and in the description of YouTube video linked below . Send a message such as: “I want UBC to protect the 1976 Senate statement. Please do not change this strong academic freedom statement. Thank you.”To those who have any questions, I am happy to answer questions following this speech, especially on the issue we are concerned most about today, the 1976 statement review. I will be taking a break first, before addressing questions. If you disagree with anything, please remember to do so respectfully. I’m not easily offended, but I mean to ask that you attempt to remain calm and intellectual, do not yell at me, etc. Thank you very much for that, and to everyone else, I encourage you to get involved with the UBC Students for Freedom of Expression, whom you can find on Facebook. As a reminder, you should come to the event with Dr. Janice Fiamengo, in March: “Is Intersectional Feminism Incompatible with Freedom of Expression?” But for now, I would like to wish you all a good evening. Thank you very much.