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Birthday: 7/6/1982
Gender: Male
Interests: Politics
Libertarian Philosophy
Video Games (console)
Music (a little bit of everything)
Expertise: I know quite a bit about contemporary music, political theory and more than anyone has a right to know about video games.
Occupation: Other
Industry: Media
Message: message meEmail: email me
MSN: mithandir_82@hotmail.com
Member Since:
12/9/2004
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| Tenth episode of CJ's Skeptical World, a podcast dedicated to examining news and cultural debates from a skeptical viewpoint.
Episode topics - Oklahoma anti-vaccination rally, Empire State Bermuda
Triangle, aliens to visit earth in June, Penn Says, Psi isn't real?,
proof of alien visitation to Earth, Eli Stone headlines, Inhofe's 400
debunked, Canada vs. Jehovah's Witnesses, wasting tax dollars on CAM,
testing String Theory, the drug war kills, Scientology hits close to
home, Those Crazy Pakistanis.
The Empire State Building is killing cars
Aliens to visit Earth on June 6
Penn said what?
Testing psi
Proof aliens have ALREADY visited Earth
Eli Stone sucks
No, you suck
Inhofe's 400 get the skeptical shaft
Complete breakdown of the 400 GW deniers
Canadian courts to decide on blood transfusions and religion
Wasting our tax dollars on sCAM
A proposed test for String Theory
It is a good thing that heroine addicts OD
Shermer does CATO
Replace Scientology with...
Those Crazy Pakistanis
Educate Before you Vaccinate flyer (pdf)
Flu vaccines save lives
There is no autism epidemic
Vaccines actually correlate with a reduction in cases of SIDS!? | | |
| Dr. Peter Grant,
My name is Clayton Flesher, and I'm a former student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. I am coming to you with my concerns about the placement of Margaret Tillet as a university instructor teaching Biological Concepts at SWOSU.
It has come to my attention that Mrs. Tillet recently expressed to her students that she disagrees with the theory of evolution, but that she will teach it regardless because she is required by the department. This sentiment by a teacher in the natural sciences concerns me greatly.
I believe that no person who disagrees with evolutionary theory adequately understands the mechanisms and evidence involved to effectively teach it, or is letting their personal religious biases get in the way of the evidence. It is my opinion that a biology instructor who openly opposes evolutionary theory is comparable to a hollow earth proponent teaching geology.
When I first entered the university setting I disagreed with evolutionary theory. I wasn't only ignorant of the evidence, I was drastically misinformed by those interested in promoting a political and social agenda, including my parents and several of my former teachers. Many Oklahoma students, myself included, were never taught evolutionary theory in high school. Our teachers either disagreed with the theory or feared public retaliation for undermining what many parents see as opposed to their religious values.
It is the responsibility of universities to make up for this education level deficiency, and Southwestern has traditionally done very well with this. Dr. Segal was my Biological Concepts professor, and he was willing to sit down with me outside of the classroom setting and go over the evidence personally. He not only answered any questions or criticisms I had, but he answered them effectively. It was an iconoclastic experience for me as a college freshman to see just how wrong I could be on an issue I felt so passionately about. Thanks in large part to Dr. Segal, I feel just as passionately today that evolutionary theory is the best model we have for explaining the complexity of life on our planet.
I know that Dr. Segal was not the only SWOSU professor willing to stand up for the evidence. When a group of Intelligent Design proponents publicized to the media that there is no scientific consensus on evolution, and that evolutionary theory was controversial in biology departments around the nation, Project Steve was created by the National Center for Science Education. Showing a list of PhD holding scientists named Steve (about 1% of the total population of PhD scientists) who recognized the validity of evolutionary theory and were willing to go on record by signing the list, it was a very effective way to show that evolutionary theory is not the least bit controversial within the scientific community. This may have been a tongue-in-cheek approach to the problem, but it makes me very proud to know that Dr. Steven O'Neal is one of the more than 800 Steves listed.
Which brings me back to Margaret Tillet. Instructor Tillet is not only failing to meet this gold standard set by prior and current natural sciences instructors at SWOSU, she is undermining the very evidence she is tasked with presenting and explaining. General education classes are a foundation for more advanced courses, and a failure at this level has greater repercussions later. The failure of students to understand essential concepts of biology can be detrimental in any number of additional programs.
The students aren't the only ones that suffer. Southwestern, with its strong reputation in the biological and medical sciences, has a vested interest in maintaining rigorous curriculum standards and attracting the most qualified faculty.
While the gravest concern is that this hurts those in the classroom, it also harms the university's reputation. Groups like Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education, of which Dr. Joseph Maness is an active and contributing member, should have a field day with this. The idea of a university so strong in the biological and medical sciences as Southwestern hiring an instructor that undermines one of the basic pillars of modern biology is cause for embarrassment.
I would also have emailed this letter to Instructor Tillet, but I was unable to locate her address on the university website. I encourage you to share this letter with her. I will also be emailing a copy to the Office of the Provost.
I look forward to hearing any response you may have regarding my concerns. I can be reached by email at cjskeptic@tcradiolive.com.
Sincerely,
Clayton J. Flesher
Former Political Science Major at Southwestern Oklahoma State University
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CJ's Skeptical World Episode 009
Ninth episode of CJ's Skeptical World, a podcast dedicated to examining news and cultural debates from a skeptical viewpoint.
Episode topics - Billy Meier-best evidence for alien visitation to date
or batshit crazy, seven signs of pseudoscience, Bhutto conspiracy
theory prediction, pareidolia, Sheldrake makes an ass of himself,
wherein a judge becomes my new hero, top 10 scam gadgets, taking
activism to the streets (form of a skeptic), global orgasms are woo I
can get behind, cat floats, Sense About Science, light bulbs of doom,
JREF lawsuit, intangible UFO, Those Crazy Russians. | | |
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