MrDarwin

Professor's Letter Professor's Letter Refusal Causes Probe

pz

"It's a theory. You read about it in textbooks. I could explain the process, maybe how some people say it happens, but I could not have said ... I believe in it," Spradling said Wednesday. "I really don't see how believing in the evolution of humanity has anything to do with patient care or studying science."

What. A. Moron.

I wouldn't write that kind of dufus a letter of recommendation, either.

Godless Dave

It's not religious discrimination. It's discrimination based on intellectual and academic ability. I thought that's what letters of recommendation were all about.

Paul2

Really though, how could he? How could a biology teacher recomend someone that doesn't "believe" in one of the fundamentals of biology? I'd write a letter of support but i'm way to lazy for that. i got the lazy gene.

Principia

Really? Let's just flip through any medical journal, and throw out all those studies using mice and yeast models to explain human diseases and to test new therapies.

KC

Since when must a professor write a letter of recommendation for a student when he cannot in good conscience recommend him?

Or have creationists now redefined the term 'recommendation'?

Cheers,

KC

Psycho Economist

On the one hand, outright refusal is not cool. On the other hand, every academic advisor worth his salt will tell you to go to a professor who is willing and able to write a positive letter for you... he is not; go elsewhere.

Why not just write a letter saying the student -- depsite being a bright, caring individual -- is scientifically illiterate in terms of understanding both fact and methodology. If the guy's signed his FERPA waiver, he'll never see it... and he won't get into the medical or research communities either.

Or... print the letter, and let the student decide if it ought to be sent. If he doesn't like it, he can go back to shopping around the rest of the department.

Wyz_sub10

This is something that could get you into a lot of trouble. I know that here, in terms of references, you cannot give a bad reference other than to describe the basics of performance.

The prof would be best off doing exactly what he did - informing the student that he could not honestly give him a reference.

Quetzal

This whole thing is a complete put-up job. Note the professor's published policy:

Unless my reading comprehension is totally lacking, this rule doesn't demand or say anything about "belief". The cretinist who's whining about the whole thing, is only saying he needed "a letter of recommendation from a biology professor", not this professor's sole and only recommendation. I'm assuming Texas Tech has more than one bio teacher?

They're trying to replay Scopes with the decks stacked by a Republican justice dept. Any decent lawyer would shred this spurious argument in a half a second. The cretinists are ONLY doing this to get publicity and public sympathy. After they lose their case in about two femtoseconds, there'll be a national media campaign to show how this "proves" the atheist scientist conspiracy to suppress gawd and believers.

Alternatively, they might hope that Tech (since it IS in Texas) might roll over and play dead at the mere threat. Anyone know whether/how much money Tech gets from the state?

Albion

Religious discrimination? I'm sure he's written letters in the past for Christian students who can manage to affirm a scientific answer to the origin of the human species (and all the other species too).