College suspends professor for allegedly attempting to force students to vote for Obama

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**Frazzled**

http://www.campusreform.org/blog/?ID=4364

College suspends professor for allegedly attempting to force students to vote for Obama
By Oliver Darcy, on Sep 17, 2012
A college professor has been placed on leave after she allegedly forced her class to sign a pledge to vote for President Obama in the upcoming elections.

Early last week Professor Sharon Sweet at Brevard Community College (BCC) allegedly told students to sign a pledge that reads: “I pledge to vote for President Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket.”

A college professor has been placed on leave after she allegedly forced her class to sign a pledge to vote for President Obama in the 2012 elections.
The pledge was printed off of GottaVote.org, a website funded by the Obama campaign.

University administrators said they learned about the incident late Thursday afternoon and launched an investigation, after they received a phone call from a concerned parent.

“Based on the allegations, Associate Professor Sweet has requested, and been granted, a leave of absence without pay effective immediately,” reads a statement put out by John Glisch, Associate Vice President for Communications at BCC.

“The college will continue its investigation into the matter, which will include interviews with all students in her class,” continues the statement.

Sweet’s actions may have also violated Florida’s election laws.

Section 104.31, of Title IX in chapter 104, states that “no officer or employee of the state... shall... use his or her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination of officer or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.”

Follow the author of this article on twitter: @oliverdarcy

@levithefox also contributed to this report.

**SagesStone**

Ah stupidity, none can evade it forever.

**Jihadin**

Guess the student parents were republicans

**kronk**

I hope she loses her job.

I'd say you get dumbasses in every party, but that would be intellectually lazy...

**Peregrine**

The real question is how did someone this stupid get a job as a professor in the first place? I mean, how completely out of touch with reality do you have to be to think that you could do something like this and get away with it?

(That is, assuming this is real. Any chance of a slightly less biased source for this?)

**Relapse**

Reminds me of the teacher that was talking about Romney cutting the kids hair, then shouting down the student who brought up the fact that Obama bullied a young girl when he was in school.

**Polonius**

Peregrine wrote:
The real question is how did someone this stupid get a job as a professor in the first place? I mean, how completely out of touch with reality do you have to be to think that you could do something like this and get away with it?

Well, it lists here simply as a "professor," which could mean she has a PhD and is full time facutly at her community college, or she's a working professional with a BA that teaches one class a semester as an adjunct.

Most likely, she's a part time, adjunct professor with a masters degree that teaches on the side for cash.

My favorite part? That a parent called in. We're not even pretending college students are adults at this point, are we?

**hotsauceman1**

Y'know, alot of people think if you are a college proffeesor you are enlightened.......you really arent.
This proves it.
I mean i havr had ultra liberal profs, but you expect that, but they tend to be very respectful of your rights.

**Manchu**

It's a pretty fishy story. How exactly did she "make" students sign this pledge? And why?

**TheHammer**

Yes, but just imagine all the other professors who are doing this or worse and who have not been caught!

4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!4 More Years!

**Frazzled**

Read the forum and comments on the CHronicle for Higher Education. Its quite enlightening.

**Hordini**

Polonius wrote:
Peregrine wrote:
The real question is how did someone this stupid get a job as a professor in the first place? I mean, how completely out of touch with reality do you have to be to think that you could do something like this and get away with it?

Well, it lists here simply as a "professor," which could mean she has a PhD and is full time facutly at her community college, or she's a working professional with a BA that teaches one class a semester as an adjunct.

Most likely, she's a part time, adjunct professor with a masters degree that teaches on the side for cash.

My favorite part? That a parent called in. We're not even pretending college students are adults at this point, are we?

The statement from the college refers to her as an "Associate Professor" which usually means full-time, tenure track faculty. I thought the same thing about the parent calling in though. Is college supposed to be the new high school now? Not that parents micromanaging their children's time in college is anything new.

I wonder if they're going to call their adult child's boss to let them know when they're sick and can't come in to work as well.

**Polonius**

Well, where I went to college (Case Western Reserve University) we had a professor literally have psychotic episodes and paint his office walls with his feces. So my standard for "crazy behavior by professors" is pretty high.

Hordini wrote:

The statement from the college refers to her as an "Associate Professor" which usually means full-time, tenure track faculty. I thought the same thing about the parent calling in though. Is college supposed to be the new high school now? Not that parents micromanaging their children's time in college is anything new. I wonder if they're going to call their adult child's boss to let them know when they're sick and can't come in to work as well.

My younger brother started college at a smaller state school in 2003, and my mom was shocked when she was invited to any of orientation. They dropped me off, helped me move in, and took off when I started in 98.

Then, she was horrified when the school passed out forms for students to sign, waiving privacy rights and allowing parents to have access to their academic records.

**Ahtman**

This story is bandied about so people can cluck their tongues and point their fingers and feel better about themselves because they are now better than a learned person.

Of course, anyone who has spent five minutes on a college campus with professors realizes that they really aren't smarter then anyone else in general, and certainly aren't immune to the same foibles and biases as the rest of society, just that they tend to be more well educated in one specific area.

It is a form of anti-intellectual schadenfreude; by taking this professor down a notch, we are reminding ourselves we are just as good, if not better, than a professor.

Sure she is an idiot, but every field has idiots.

**Frazzled**

Actually not antiintellectual, more of support that colleges are a bastion of lefty crazy.

**TheHammer**

Have you been to college, Frazzled?

Most colleges I've been to or worked at are really fragmented. Sociology and many other such programs, and this probably bleeds over to more "art" type programs like English, are usually a bit to the left. It isn't like they're hard core left, it's just usually "middle aged white person who wants to be nice so they are liberal" left.

Economics, History, Government, and many other programs usually have a more rightward lean. I've seen Computer Science programs be incredibly libertarian and full of entitled pasty white dudes who don't understand why the Civil Rights Act was important.

So, yeah, stop talking about "college".

**Polonius**

I'm getting the popcorn...

**Frazzled**

TheHammer wrote:
Have you been to college, Frazzled?

Most colleges I've been to or worked at are really fragmented. Sociology and many other such programs, and this probably bleeds over to more "art" type programs like English, are usually a bit to the left. It isn't like they're hard core left, it's just usually "middle aged white person who wants to be nice so they are liberal" left.

Economics, History, Government, and many other programs usually have a more rightward lean. I've seen Computer Science programs be incredibly libertarian and full of entitled pasty white dudes who don't understand why the Civil Rights Act was important.

So, yeah, stop talking about "college".

AA
BS
MBA
JD
Yea I've been around campus once or twice.

We used to call the School of Social Work the School of Socialism. I took English in AA and everyone was just business (aka we were all too tired and were paying with hard earned dollars-no weird stuff). It only got fun in undergrad and at the law school. there were avowed communists in undergrad. if you disagreed with them you received a C (they knew not to try to flunk you as that would have repercussions). Luckily at the time I was naive and socialist too so it wasn't a problem. Except when they started talking personal rights.

I remember my last semester of my last degree taking a class called Women and the Law. I flipped a coin going in on whether to play Limbaugh or Hightower for the semester. Suffice to say it was Frazzled vs. 9 women, a eunich, and the professor. It was so awesome.

The really great thing about undergrad though was the weekly Thursday protest. Sit out in the commons, wait for the protest to march up. If the members were cute you joined. If not, you sat and ate french fries. Sweet sweet memories.

**TheHammer**

It's really strange for someone to spend so long at university and get nothing out of it.

I'm not even saying that in relation to your usual posts, but you say as much in your post.

Oh well.

4 More Years! 4 More Years! 4 More Years!

**Polonius**

TheHammer wrote:
It's really strange for someone to spend so long at university and get nothing out of it.

It is, but we forgive you.

**Ahtman**

I thought Frazzled went to college, but then I realized it was just an MBA.

/rimshot

**ShumaGorath**

Peregrine wrote:
The real question is how did someone this stupid get a job as a professor in the first place? I mean, how completely out of touch with reality do you have to be to think that you could do something like this and get away with it?

(That is, assuming this is real. Any chance of a slightly less biased source for this?)

It's easier than you might think given my experience in school.

**hotsauceman1**

Frazzled went to college, and now he is getting bossed around by a dog.
But in all reality, I took a women studies course in my first semester(i just found out the damn credits where not transferable)
But yeah, Colleges are full of lefties, Not crazies, Remember Frazzled, Crazies exist on all sides.
I may or may not be one of them.

**AustonT**

Frazzled wrote:
http://www.campusreform.org/blog/?ID=4364

Spoiler:

College suspends professor for allegedly attempting to force students to vote for Obama
By Oliver Darcy, on Sep 17, 2012
A college professor has been placed on leave after she allegedly forced her class to sign a pledge to vote for President Obama in the upcoming elections.

Early last week Professor Sharon Sweet at Brevard Community College (BCC) allegedly told students to sign a pledge that reads: “I pledge to vote for President Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket.”

A college professor has been placed on leave after she allegedly forced her class to sign a pledge to vote for President Obama in the 2012 elections.
The pledge was printed off of GottaVote.org, a website funded by the Obama campaign.

University administrators said they learned about the incident late Thursday afternoon and launched an investigation, after they received a phone call from a concerned parent.

“Based on the allegations, Associate Professor Sweet has requested, and been granted, a leave of absence without pay effective immediately,” reads a statement put out by John Glisch, Associate Vice President for Communications at BCC.

“The college will continue its investigation into the matter, which will include interviews with all students in her class,” continues the statement.

Sweet’s actions may have also violated Florida’s election laws.

Section 104.31, of Title IX in chapter 104, states that “no officer or employee of the state... shall... use his or her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination of officer or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.”

Follow the author of this article on twitter: @oliverdarcy

@levithefox also contributed to this report.

I really want for this not to be true. It really just makes higher education seem more liberal than it is, and it becomes a conservative talking point. That way they can put it with all the other talking points I don't give a gak about. As a lecturer or professor how stupid can you be, she had to figure her job was forfeit.

**Frazzled**

TheHammer wrote:
It's really strange for someone to spend so long at university and get nothing out of it.

Hold the freight train up. Are you saying wine, women, and song, is "getting nothing out of it?" Thats just crazy talk.

**TheHammer**

Polonius wrote:
TheHammer wrote:
It's really strange for someone to spend so long at university and get nothing out of it.

It is, but we forgive you.

Jokes and jokes and jokes and jokes.

**Frazzled**

Ahtman wrote:
I thought Frazzled went to college, but then I realized it was just an MBA.

/rimshot

Thats more accurate than you realize.

**AustonT**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Frazzled went to college, and now he is getting bossed around by a dog.
But in all reality, I took a women studies course in my first semester(i just found out the damn credits where not transferable)
But yeah, Colleges are full of lefties, Not crazies, Remember Frazzled, Crazies exist on all sides.
I may or may not be one of them.

What's wrong with women's studies?

**Frazzled**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Frazzled went to college, and now he is getting bossed around by a dog.
But in all reality, I took a women studies course in my first semester(i just found out the damn credits where not transferable)
But yeah, Colleges are full of lefties, Not crazies, Remember Frazzled, Crazies exist on all sides.
I may or may not be one of them.

This is true. Crazies are everyone. Thats why I decided to quit fighting them and join them!

To be accurate here's the list of people who boss me around:
She Who Must Be Obeyed. She has a gun and a minivan.

Genghis COnnie. She didn't get the name Genghis because it was funny (to her surprise).

the Boy. because...well he's bigger than me.

Rusty the Tank Dog. Because he's big too.
Rodney the Rocket. because he's needy and can steal food off the table faster than you can blink.
TBone the Magnificent. Hey if you can't be bossed around by ancient half blind wiener dog with terminal cancer and seizures, who can you be bossed by?

**hotsauceman1**

AustonT wrote:
hotsauceman1 wrote:
Frazzled went to college, and now he is getting bossed around by a dog.
But in all reality, I took a women studies course in my first semester(i just found out the damn credits where not transferable)
But yeah, Colleges are full of lefties, Not crazies, Remember Frazzled, Crazies exist on all sides.
I may or may not be one of them.

What's wrong with women's studies?

I forgot to type that out, I had a crazy proff. She would give you a scary look if you disagree with her or say anything wrong(I wanted to say i didnt support abortion but i got scared to do it)
And she woud complain about her marriages to us.