Summer in the University

Summer is an interesting time for a university. We have already said that we do not expect dramatic happenings this summer as there have been during the past two.

After all, we have shown that we are vigilant and that there are enough people who care about our movement to keep us informed of what is happening on Bison Hill.

However, this is the summer to keep watching. The last two summers have included dismissals of well-loved, erudite professors. And for those of you keeping score at home, one of those professors has received the W.O. Carver Award for lifetime achievement from the Baptist History and Heritage Society. So while OBU settled this spring for a professor who could hardly manage to have regular lectures during the scheduled class time, people outside our bubble were recognizing those OBU kicked to the curb.  When two top students informed the dean about what a disaster the Baptist History class was, the dean became defensive and rebuffed the students.

But to the point, from an administrative standpoint, summer, when the students are away, is the best time to make big changes, especially if they are going to be unpopular. This is not always necessarily a bad thing -- the best time to make OBU a smoke-free campus was over the summer. But sometimes it is terrible -- as in the case of our two forced dismissals.

All of that to say, we are watching. Our movement has grown tremendously and there are many who are helping to keep us updated. If anything happens this summer, we will be sure to inform our readership.

Thus, as we all take a little bit of break for the summer, be sure to keep checking in. We are going to keep writing about Baptist History, higher education, and especially the current struggles to maintain academic freedom at OBU.