Until recently, Scott McConnell was a student at Le Moyne College, a Jesuit institution. For a class, McConnell advocated the use of corporal punishment in school, citing an experience he had when a teacher paddled him in front of McConnells class.

The college subsequently dismissed McConnell because of grave concerns regarding the mismatch between your personal beliefs regarding teaching and learning and the Le Moyne College program goals.

If the letter stunned Mr. McConnell, the "best wishes" part turned him into a campaigner. A mild-mannered former private in the Army, Mr. McConnell has taken up a free-speech banner with a tireless intensity, casting himself as a transplant from a conservative state abused by political correctness in more liberal New York. He also said that because he is an evangelical Christian, his views about sparing the rod and spoiling the child flowed partly from the Bible, and that Le Moyne was "spitting on that."

He is working with First Amendment groups to try to pressure Le Moyne into apologizing and reinstating him, and is considering legal action as well as a formal appeal to the college. He says Le Moyne misconstrued his views: he believes children should not be paddled without their parents' permission. He said that even then, the principal, as the school's head disciplinarian, should deliver the punishment.

"Judges live in the real world, and I think they would see that Scott got an A-minus on his paper and was expressing views on a campus that supports academic freedom," said David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group based in Philadelphia that is supporting Mr. McConnell. "It's hard to see a court looking kindly on Scott's expulsion."[...]

New York is one of 28 states that ban corporal punishment; most of those that allow it are in the South and West. Most states did not ban corporal punishment until the late 1980's, after parents, educators, and other advocates began pressing for the laws. More than 342,000 students received corporal punishment in the 1999-2000 school year, in the most recent figures from the federal Education Department.

Shal

Los Angeles, CA

October 2002

MAR 11, 2005 08:18 PM

Um.. it's a private Jesuit school that doesn't find the student's beliefs to be in line with the school's beliefs.

Going to a private university is a privilege, not a right. In my opinion, a private school should have every right to dismiss a student whose ideology is contrary to what the school believes. The guy should be in a public university, where free speech laws apply.

[Edited on Mar 11, 2005 by Shalome]

alpha_hazard

Fort Collins, CO

April 2004

MAR 11, 2005 09:02 PM

Perhaps it's just another way of showing him that corporal punichment is not the only punishment.

Telepathboy

Tacoma, WA

February 2005

MAR 11, 2005 09:37 PM

You know what the interesting thing is? "Spare the rod and spoil the child" isn't from the bible... it's from a poem by Samuel Butler. Seriously, look it up.

I mean, the bible says a few things about beating your kids... mostly in the book of Proverbs... but still. It's always amused me that the most commonly quoted bible phrase... is a poem.

"Love is a boy, by poets styled,
Then spare the rod and spoil the child"

He wrote it in... the late 1600's or so. It's actually a poem ridiculing Christianity... I think Puritans specifically.

*shrug*

-D

obd

Venice, CA

June 2003

MAR 11, 2005 09:45 PM

I'm not saying that I would want my kid [if I had one] in this guy's classroom, or that the college did not have the right to do what they did. But this is the bit I find puzzling:

But Dr. Smarrelli acknowledged that Le Moyne had not warned students like Mr. McConnell that they could be removed for expressing controversial beliefs, nor had the college said that education students must oppose corporal punishment or support multiculturalism.

Le Moyne is a Jesuit school, which to me, suggests that as an institution, they espouse a certain set of values [I'm not Catholic, I could not come close to articulatng what a Jesuit set of vaues might be] and that most of the student body chose to attend the institution because they are, on some level, interested in that set of values. Wouldn't finding a student so far off 'the path' be monumental teaching opportunity? It does not seem from the article that Mr. McConnell ever got that stern talking to. It's odd to me that this seems to have happened without some sort of notice to Mr. McConnel that he was out on the thin ice. I'm not saying that the school did not have the right to dismiss him [and it does seem that he had expressed other signs of wingnuttery].

Dreamweaveruk

United Kingdom

October 2004

MAR 12, 2005 01:58 AM

In the 1980's... there was a swift solution for wiseacres: the paddle.

"It was a footlong piece of wood, and hung on every classroom wall like a symbol, a strong Christian symbol," said Mr. McConnell, who is 26. "Nobody wanted that paddle to come down."

What exactly did this thing symbolise? I'm guessig it's the love of Jesus for all the kids who're hit with it...

d_day

San Bernardino, CA

July 2002

MAR 12, 2005 02:18 AM

i dunno 'bout that. in my school, our principal was apparently punk rock, as his paddle was covered in faux leopard skin.

[Edited on Mar 12, 2005 2:21AM]

[Edited on Mar 12, 2005 2:22AM]

Jeff_Fries

Humptulips, WA

September 2003

MAR 12, 2005 02:26 AM

Shalome said:
Going to a private university is a privilege, not a right. In my opinion, a private school should have every right to dismiss a student whose ideology is contrary to what the school believes. The guy should be in a public university, where free speech laws apply.

Yeah, but clearly that can get creepy and insular. If it's just a matter of a kid saying he appreciates the value of corporal punishment, I don't see how that's reasonable to kick him out. I guess it depends on details I refuse to read on principal of I don't feel like it right now.

naughtierthanur

Arlington Heights, IL

December 2004

MAR 12, 2005 02:38 AM

This just makes me so mad I want to go spank a nun.

dem_z

United Kingdom

June 2004

MAR 12, 2005 05:18 AM

I don't know much bible stuff, but wasn't Jesus always whacking children with big bits of wood?

witchhunter

Jackson, TN

February 2003

MAR 12, 2005 05:41 AM

demetrius_z said:
I don't know much bible stuff, but wasn't Jesus always whacking children with big bits of wood?

And his cock.

jennytruant

Costa Mesa, CA

February 2005

MAR 12, 2005 07:09 AM

and at UCI no one would have batted an eye

Longpastbedtime

Ames, IA

March 2003

MAR 12, 2005 07:16 AM

I agree that as a Jesuit school they have the right to moderate what ideas get thrown around in their school. But I still think free speech is something good in and of itself, so their attempts to curtail said free speech on their campus are unfortunate. I also think that being tossed out for one essay is a bit much.

ocuinneagain

Mobile, AL

March 2005

MAR 12, 2005 09:20 AM

i don't seem to remember the catholic church ever being torch bearers for freedom of thought of any kind*...

*see: 'crusades' and 'spanish inquisition'

[Edited on Mar 12, 2005 11:20AM]

DeadBilly

Burnt Cabins, PA

February 2004

MAR 12, 2005 09:29 AM

I thought Catholic schools were really big on the ol' whacking stick? Or have times changed?

Anyway, freedom of speech, I always say. Private or public doesn't matter. Anytime I hear of a student being expelled because "their personal beliefs doesn't jive with the school's" I start to worry.

hulasboy

Venice, CA

September 2002

MAR 12, 2005 09:52 AM

dogmatix1977 said:
I thought Catholic schools were really big on the ol' whacking stick? Or have times changed?

Anyway, freedom of speech, I always say. Private or public doesn't matter. Anytime I hear of a student being expelled because "their personal beliefs doesn't jive with the school's" I start to worry.

except that the school has a reputation to uphold as well. they don't want someone paddling kids with a big diploma on his wall from their school. They have a certain educational philosophy, and in order to protect their reputation they have to choose which students to pass and which students to drop.

theseeman

Asheville, NC

December 2002

MAR 12, 2005 09:54 AM

Wait the Jesuits kicked him out over promoting punishment? The jesuits? Didn't they used to kick alot of ass? I might be wrong here but I have an impression of Jesuits as Catholic shock troops. I guess times have changed.

hulasboy

Venice, CA

September 2002

MAR 12, 2005 10:05 AM

theseeman said:
Wait the Jesuits kicked him out over promoting punishment? The jesuits? Didn't they used to kick alot of ass? I might be wrong here but I have an impression of Jesuits as Catholic shock troops. I guess times have changed.

jesuits are usually associated with education.

although a catholic education has historically involved more ass kicking than a secular education...

adrock1212

Davis, CA

August 2004

MAR 12, 2005 10:09 AM

Shalome said:
Um.. it's a private Jesuit school that doesn't find the student's beliefs to be in line with the school's beliefs.

Going to a private university is a privilege, not a right. In my opinion, a private school should have every right to dismiss a student whose ideology is contrary to what the school believes. The guy should be in a public university, where free speech laws apply.

[Edited on Mar 11, 2005 by Shalome]

That is about the biggest bunch of backwards thinking I have ever heard.

He just wrote an essay on it, and he did get an A-

its not like he was president of the corporal punishment club..
although that would raise entirely different questions.

And if he was admitted, and he pays his tuition, he is allowed to think however he wants to.

Going to Berkeley is a privelege, not a right, but in the late 60's they tried to outlaw students from forming political groups on campus, and we all remember what happened..(Mario Savio on top of a cop car, and the free speech movement)

Thistle

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

MAR 12, 2005 10:16 AM

Jesuits are the most liberal, philosophy oriented part of the Catholic Church. Their educational style involves a lot of freedom of thought, learning to debate, and thinking deeply about the teachings of the church as well as great writings from other areas. I don't know if corproal punishment is used in Jesuit primary schools, or if Jesuit primary schools exist, but I don't believe it's used in Jesuit high schools.

venomkid

I'm lost

January 2003

MAR 12, 2005 10:29 AM

adrock1212 said:

Private school. End of story, unfortunately. If he can get the university to cave to the pressure, good for him, but they're not obligated to.

You've got it backwards. He pays his tuition, and the university is allowed to give it back and tell him to go elsewhere.

[Edited on Mar 12, 2005 1:32PM]

mrsmutty

Victoria, BC

December 2004

MAR 12, 2005 11:59 AM

Hmm, I think you're thinking of GI Joe.

ThisIsWhoWeAre

Oakland, CA

July 2004

MAR 12, 2005 12:31 PM

Telepathboy said:
You know what the interesting thing is? "Spare the rod and spoil the child" isn't from the bible... it's from a poem by Samuel Butler. Seriously, look it up.

I mean, the bible says a few things about beating your kids... mostly in the book of Proverbs... but still. It's always amused me that the most commonly quoted bible phrase... is a poem.

"Love is a boy, by poets styled,
Then spare the rod and spoil the child"

He wrote it in... the late 1600's or so. It's actually a poem ridiculing Christianity... I think Puritans specifically.

*shrug*

-D

Nice call on the "Spare the rod" quote. I didn't know that.

An example of what you said regarding similar lines:

Proverbs 13:24 (King James Version)

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.