[626] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
expressions @mit [was: re: Dartmouth & ZP]
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._)
Sat May 12 17:40:53 2001
Message-Id: <200105122142.RAA02994@MECHWARRIOR.MIT.EDU>
To: mit-talk@MIT.EDU
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 17:42:53 EDT
From: "Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._Chien-ta Wu" <jimmbswu@MIT.EDU>
Paradigm: You can evaluate everything from the standpoint of leadership
development.
MIT's educational mission is to develop leaders of society in science and
technology for the next generation.
Under this broad umbrella of leadership development, there are several
dimensions: academic, mental, emotional, and physical. MIT chose not to
over-emphasize the physical leadership part :-)
Therefore, on the matter of freedom of expression at MIT, what is the best way
to go?
One duty of the MIT administration is create a comfortable learning environment
for all members of the MIT community. Therefore, it needs to discourage
expressions of racism and the practice of harassment. [I believe in Michael
Crichton's view that harassment is always an abuse of power. Therefore, if
there is no power relationship, there is no harassment.]
Another duty of the MIT admin is to train the future leaders to think
critically, to look at something and ask why it is, and how to fix it.
Yet another is to develop specific leadership attributes such as duty,
responsibility, loyalty, etc. [Duty to your work, responsibility to your
constituents, and loyalty to your communities, etc.] One way to accomplish this
is to empower students to shape their environment, by being able to change
things around the Institute.
Therefore, what is the best way to balance all three of these duties? A gag
order such as the non-discrimination, non-racism statute is obviously
sub-optimal in leadership development. It does not allow students to critically
discuss what is right and what is wrong, and it does not empower students to
shape and change their learning environment. It is too constraining.
Therefore, is there a better way?
Similarly, on the "code of conduct": What is the most leadership-optimal method
of encouraging adherence to a code of conduct? What should this code of conduct
include, that would most encourage development of leadership attributes?
So that was that,
B, crackpot and defender of the status quo
-----------
http://www.mit.edu/~jimmbswu "Who Dares, Wins."
--UK SAS
"It is good that war is so terrible,
else we should grow too fond of it."
--R. E. Lee
