Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (classic literature list txt) 📕

the wait. Plus, she had to admit it…this was fun in an intellectual sort of a way. She could even recall the base/superstructure visual that he’d drawn on the board, what he called ‘an architectural metaphor,’ to help the class understand Karl Marx’s theories.

“Translating this into policy, the state legislature has been cutting funding to ‘ed-u-cation’ for years. In recessionary times, which I guess is understandable, but even when the state is flush…doesn’t matter which. The money we ought to be getting goes to tax cuts for corporations. Which by the way does not improve the state’s economy, no matter how much the politicos claims that it does. This kind of talk is just ideological rubbish to justify the redistribution of public monies.”

Naremore stopped to catch his breath or maybe to change gears…Jillian could almost hear them working. He must have decided where to go next because he continued. “But, it’s ideological in another way, too. Since universities have less money, they’re forced to replace the missing revenue with money from… elsewhere…often, from problematic sources. I don’t blame Davidos for chasing dollars…the dude has no option. The rub is that the money comes with strings, ideological strings. And, of course, ideology and consciousness also reflect the mode of production. So…”

“You mean, like Rand Studies?”

“Exactly. I can see that you are still on your game, intellectually, Jillian.” He smiled and gave her a quick applause.

“Also like the Koch Center, and all the rest. These right-wing outfits want in the university. It gives them legitimacy—they can say ‘so-n’ so’ is an ASU prof…or a prof at some other U. So they have standing when they say the bogus stuff they say. It’s just part of the right-wing effort to make inroads into the university.”

“You mean so that universities are not so liberal?”

“Not so much that…actually, universities aren’t all that liberal. Professors get grants from the government and foundations—some even do research for the CIA—and usually the parameters from the funding institutions reflect the state and other powerful interests. No, this is a way for the right to control the intellectual discourse. Let me be very clear about this, Jillian…universities are under siege.” He emphasized each of these last words by slapping the back of his right hand into his left palm.

“Man, there’s a whole genre of books about how capitalism is altering universities. From the Koch’s and the Rand’s, and including this business about the egregious indebtedness of former college students, which is because the government AND even some universities steer students to loans from private lenders…at high rates of interest. Then, after they graduate, if the students have a hard time repaying, the lenders mess with them…with help from state governments. And now, you’ve got the US Department of Ed-U-Cation doing its best to undermine any attempt to forgive any of the indebtedness…even when they owe private degree mills that have gone under.”

Jillian leaned forward to ask something, but he kept talking. “Except in the U.K. There’s a group led by scholars at Oxford that are fighting back, and with some success against the privatization of universities.”

“So, don’t US professors model what’s going on in the U.K.?”

He was quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the power of Oxford’s place in ed-u-cation, or maybe there’s just more solidarity over there. “Whatever…when you read these books about the situation in the U.S., it’s like ‘Game Over,’ man. Maybe US administrators just aren’t willing to bite the hand that feeds them. You know, Florida State dealt with this several years ago…the Koch Brothers were on campus creating a department or center…don’t remember which…anyhow, the university tried to have it both ways, to take their money AND to exert some control over the professors who were hired. In the end, they capitulated. I guess once you drink the Kool-Aid…there’s no going back.”

“OK, I got it, but back to Professor Siemens and the Rand Studies Center.”

“Davidos needs money, and outfits like the Rand people are offering it. Remember, Ayn Rand wasn’t just a novelist, she was a purveyor of a very distinct, pro-capitalist ideology. I think that’s why she’s so “in” with all of the Republicans in D.C. and in some state legislatures, and of course in the corporate community. They read her drivel and love it…she gives them a justification, ideologically and ethically, for the vulture capitalism they espouse.”

“And here at ASU?”

“Well, the grant money was out there and several people went for it. I opposed it…so did some others in the faculty senate, but they steam-rolled right over us. Then, they had their little search, and Siemens got the nod.”

“Some of the people we’ve interviewed said that the issue wasn’t especially Professor Siemens, as much as it was the very presence of such a program. Do you agree?”

“Nope…it was both. Siemens was a real piece of work. Met her a couple of times. She’s smart, but she’s also the worst kind of ideologue. She’s an apologist for vulture capitalism, and she’s a racist to boot. Oh, she tries to hide it behind the usual meritocracy argument, but it the same ‘ole-same-ole’—color-blind racism. There’ve been complaints from students of color…from faculty of color, too.”

“So, given this, you know, the feelings against her personally and also against her Center, do you think that caused someone to murder her?” As she asked, Jillian again thought of Professor Siemens’ multiple head wounds.

“I don’t have an answer for you on that one, Jillian. But I will say this…the battle lines are being drawn. And, it’s not just universities that are under attack…it’s a lot of institutions. We’re seeing the same thing in states where there’s a move to make judicial elections more partisan. Long time ago, there was a movement—it was successful—that said politics have no place in choosing judges. But here again…law is also a part of the superstructure so it’s gonna reflect the mode of production. And one way to maintain corporatist-friendly laws is to elect judges who’ll uphold them. So, with the