Thread by @JWhitebread1

Okay are you ready for "What's going on at BYU" Part 2" Electric Boogaloo? Well too bad, because I'm doing it anyway.

So in the last installment I shared a few stories that explained the "vibe" at BYU. To reiterate:
1. The faculty and admin were outright antagonistic to each other and far more that at a usual university.

2. The admin was basically clueless and rudderless, and reactionary.

3. And while there certainly was a contingent of faculty that had a chip on their shoulder, most were just frankly, exhausted, and just wanted to do their job without undue interference.

Just for the record, I want to state that I loved my colleagues and my dept. They always had my back, but I was frankly in an enviable position. I was hired as a visiting professor.

The whole point of a visiting professor was that they aren't permanent. They hired to teach a specific topic and when their contract is done, they walk away.

Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to stay at BYU but it was clear, and the dept. was always straight with me, that this was not a permanent gig and there probably wouldn't be a place for me long term.

Which meant, I was FREE, in a way no one else teaching was at BYU. I could more or less do what I want and walk away like an action hero walking away from an explosion.

Which was great because I was teaching some very controversial stuff. I was teaching Contemporary Visual Culture and Art History. Basically, all the really current, really offensive, really blasphemous stuff. It was fun. Aaaaaaand I got called in to the dean's office. A lot.

I always had the backing of my dept. chair and my dept. however. They were great. Don't get me wrong. I didn't go in to start trouble. Far from it. I wasn't there to corrupt the yoots. I tried to keep the topic as clean as I could, but yeah.

But again it demonstrated what was wrong with BYU. I was told to teach the subject same as I did anywhere else, oh, but also don't violate the honor code. Okay, that was kinda vague. When I asked for more guidance, none was offered.

The problem isn't that people are intentionally crossing the line, it's that no lines are drawn, or rather, it is entirely up to the individual professor to draw the line.

I actually wouldn't have minded if they gave me a list of things/topics not to cover. That would have been better. I would have been happy to have them pre approve my lectures, and avoid the hassle, but no.

So inevitably I would cross the invisible line, because someone in glass got offended, or more often, someone not in class got offended about what they HEARD I taught, and it would be another trip to the proverbial principal's office.

Again, I wasn't trying, I was doing everything I could NOT to offend, and again, I knew this was a temp job, so what could they do to me? But imagine if you were full-time at BYU, had a topic that wasn't all puppies and rainbows, it would make you nuts.

I often wondered WHY? Why not just establish the line and keep profs from wandering in a minefield in the dark without a flashlight. I honestly don't know, but the next is my speculation.

Having talked to other profs who had the same frustration, I think the reason is this. BYU is split between its desire to create a safe space for LDS students, and its desire to be seen as a top tier institution.

If it got around that Admin was circulating lists of topics that were verboten, well, that would go public instantaneously, especially if written down. That would prove embarrassing for the university and the church, and might jeopardize their accreditation.

Now I want to point out, this happens at other universities ALL THE TIME. If you think modern secular academia is a bastion of free speech well then...heh sorry to disabuse of that notion.

For example, I taught at a university back east that had a large studies program in a specific topic. We were told, in no uncertain terms, we COULD NOT cover that topic. AT ALL. And if we did, oh boy, did we hear about it.

So other universities carve out niche programs and basically put other programs under restrictions all the time for political reasons and nobody says boo about it. BUT, if BYU did the same for religious reasons, well there would be consequences.

So BYU is under a microscope really, and actually treads a narrower tightrope than any other college out there I know.

AND, all of this "discretionary self-censorship" let's call it is placed on the shoulders of the individual faculty members WITH ALMOST NO GUIDANCE.

And so if you want to know why BYU faculty sound particularly oh... defensive, or paranoid, or touchy, well...now you know.

Imagine having to mind-read and second guess the admin's intent at all times, and that they won't just tell you where the line is. Now times that by every Peter Priesthood ramrod just itching to narc on you based on where you drew the line. You'd be nuts too.

And the admin is twitchy too. They don't like hearing bad press about BYU and they are nervous what the Brethren think, so they have to decide, hey, is this report just some student with an axe to grind or is this a big deal? I don't think their job is any easier.

So now imagine you are a typical academic. You got in this to teach your discipline. If its mathematics, okay fine, you're probably good. Not too much is edgy in math. But humanities, sociology, visual arts, yeah there's a lot of touchy subjects there.

So would you rather teach at a place where you can just...teach? or would you rather teach at a place where you have to play these games? The answer is obvious. Especially if you are the product of grad school that had a certain academic groupthink.

So I don't blame a lot of the professors for their attitude that this would all just go away. Problem is, if it does, at least like SMU or Notre Dame, most of what makes BYU unique, IMO goes along with it.

Thing is, I'm a really odd duck. I really couldn't teach my topic at BYU effectively, and I was much happier teaching it at other institutions. However, I honestly don't think BYU should be just like every other institution.

And I think eventually, the admin will have to draw a firm line and that's okay. Good even. However, most academics, because they come out of that academic elite environment, wouldn't agree.

There are basically two cultures at BYU now, an LDS culture, and an academic elite cultures, - not just an academic culture, but an academic ELITE culture, there's a difference - and they may not be reconcilable.

So hopefully that gives you a sense of why things feel so contentious at BYU. For my next thread I will talk about how BYU more or less brought this on itself by deliberating courting an ELITE academic culture.

Elite Academic cultures, as opposed to academic cultures, are a whole other ball of wax, and the truth is in the 90s, BYU courted and enlisted this culture. They WANTED an elite academic culture, but how that happened will wait for my next thread. Peace.

deliberately, not deliberating. Ugh.