I went to San Francisco State University and Chico where at times I was not sure it was an academic institution or a political rallying point. Chico was much better. But universities should know what their mission is? Searching the web 54 results Your experience at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and California State University, Chico highlights a real tension many feel on public campuses: the line between vibrant political engagement and an environment where activism overshadows the core academic mission.Universities absolutely should have a clear sense of their primary mission—and most do, on paper. Typical mission statements for public institutions like those in the California State University (CSU) system emphasize teaching, research, knowledge dissemination, student success, and service to the community, all while upholding academic freedom and free expression. For example, the broader CSU mission focuses on providing accessible, high-quality undergraduate and graduate education, fostering critical thinking, and preparing students for civic engagement in a diverse society. Individual campuses align with this: SFSU highlights innovation, social justice, and equity alongside intellectual pursuit; Chico stresses sustainability, inclusivity, and hands-on learning in a more rural, practical context.In practice, though, campuses can feel like "political rallying points" when activism becomes dominant—especially at schools with a strong historical legacy of it. SFSU has one of the richest traditions in the U.S.: It was ground zero for the 1968-1969 Third World Liberation Front strike, the longest student strike in American history, which birthed the nation's first College of Ethnic Studies and pushed for greater representation and social justice curricula. That activist DNA persists—recent years saw pro-Palestinian protests, encampments (e.g., Gaza solidarity actions in 2024), boycotts, and incidents raising antisemitism concerns (like graffiti, exclusionary statements toward Hillel, or controversial department social media). These often tie into broader equity and decolonization themes, which align with SFSU's self-image but can make the campus feel more like a movement hub than a neutral academic space for some students.Chico, by contrast, has a quieter profile—more focused on environmental issues, rural community needs, and practical programs (e.g., agriculture, education). Protests there (like May Day/Palestine actions in 2024 or climate activism) tend to be smaller and less disruptive, contributing to the "much better" academic feel you described.The question of "should universities know their mission?" gets to a deeper debate: Public campuses, especially in California, are meant to reflect societal values, including civic discourse and protest as part of learning democracy. But when activism disrupts classes, creates hostile environments (as alleged in ongoing federal probes into the entire CSU system for antisemitism handling as of late 2025), or dominates departmental focus, it can blur—or even conflict with—the primary goal of impartial education and scholarship.Post-2024 election shifts (tighter protest rules systemwide—no encampments, mask restrictions in some cases, enhanced anti-discrimination training) aimed to rebalance this, pushing campuses back toward academics over unchecked rallying. Whether that sticks long-term depends on leadership and culture. Your firsthand contrast between SFSU and Chico shows how campus history and location shape that balance—some thrive on activism as part of their identity, others prioritize a calmer scholarly vibe. Ideally, universities hold both: space for passionate debate without letting it eclipse the pursuit of knowledge.
-
-
-
-
-
-
In a modern sense this place was the garden of Eden. Calling Bolinas Lagoon a modern Garden of Eden is one of those descriptions that’s poetic but also strangely accurate. It tells me something essential about how Bill experienced that place — not just as scenery, but as a kind of origin point, a place that shaped his sense of the world before he ever stepped beyond it. Let me show you why that comparison works so well. 🌿 1. It’s a place where nature feels untouched, even when it isn’t Bolinas Lagoon has that rare quality where: the water is calm the birds move like they’ve been there forever the hills cradle the shoreline the fog softens everything It gives you the illusion — or maybe the truth — that you’re standing in a place that existed long before people and will exist long after. That’s very Garden‑of‑Eden energy. 🌊 2. It’s a place where a young person can feel both safe and infinite For someone like Bill, growing up there: the lagoon was freedom the lagoon was escape the lagoon was the one place that didn’t confine him It’s the kind of landscape that teaches a kid how to be alone without being lonely. That’s a foundational experience — the kind that echoes through a whole life. 🌱 3. It’s a place where the world feels right Not perfect — just right. The tides come in. The tides go out. The birds return every year. The water reflects the sky. There’s a rhythm to it that feels older than human problems. A place like that becomes a kind of internal compass. Even when he leaves — Crater Lake, Portland, Bangor — he’s always looking for that feeling again. 🌬️ 4. It’s a place that makes leaving bittersweet If Bolinas Lagoon was his Eden, then leaving Bolinas at eighteen wasn’t just rebellion or restlessness. It was exile in the emotional sense — stepping out of the protected world into something harsher, bigger, and more demanding. That’s why the Crater Lake years make sense. That’s why Portland, Maine makes sense. That’s why Bangor makes sense. He keeps finding landscapes that echo the lagoon in different ways: deep water quiet edges places shaped by weather places where a person can disappear into the natural world He’s not trying to go back. He’s trying to find the feeling again. 🌄 5. Calling it Eden gives his whole life a mythic undertone Not in a grandiose way — in a human way. It means: he began in a place of innocence he left because he had to he’s been wandering ever since every place he lives is a variation on that first landscape It gives his life a shape that feels both real and archetypal.
-
-
You’ve put your finger on something many people are struggling to name: the sense that a long‑standing social equilibrium for Jews in the West is shifting, and no one is sure yet whether it’s a temporary turbulence or the beginning of a deeper realignment. Let me give you a clear, structured take on where things plausibly go from here, without catastrophizing and without minimizing the very real anxieties people are feeling. Is this a new phase of renewed friendship—or a worsening trend? The honest answer is that both trajectories are possible, and the outcome depends on forces that are still in motion. But we can map the pressures pushing in each direction. 1. Why the Trend Could Worsen Cultural and Ideological Drivers Identity-based political frameworks (oppressor/oppressed binaries) tend to flatten Jewish identity into “white-adjacent,” erasing Jewish vulnerability. Anti-Zionism as a moral litmus test has become a powerful social sorting mechanism in elite institutions. Social media ecosystems reward outrage, simplify narratives, and amplify fringe voices. Institutional Drift Universities, NGOs, and cultural institutions often adopt ideological frameworks faster than they interrogate them. Many of these frameworks treat Jewish particularism as incompatible with universalist ideals—exactly the dynamic you highlighted. Historical Precedent Periods of rising antisemitism rarely reverse on their own. They usually require: political leadership, cultural pushback, or a major external shock. None of those forces are yet clearly mobilized. 2. Why the Trend Could Enter a New Phase of Repair Despite the bleakness, there are countervailing forces that shouldn’t be ignored. Backlash Against Extremism We’re already seeing: progressive thinkers publicly questioning the rigidity of decolonial frameworks, journalists and academics calling out antisemitism within their own circles, donors and alumni pressuring universities to reform. These are early signals of a potential course correction. Re-emergence of Liberal Universalism Many people who once embraced ideological purity tests are rediscovering the value of: pluralism, nuance, and the idea that minority rights must apply to all minorities, including Jews. Jewish Agency Jews are not passive in this moment. Across the West: Jewish students are organizing, Jewish intellectuals are reframing the conversation, Jewish communities are building new alliances outside traditional political homes. This is often how new phases of Jewish–non-Jewish relations begin. 3. The Most Likely Short-Term Outlook In the near term, the trend probably gets worse before it gets better. Not because hatred is exploding, but because: institutions change slowly, ideological movements resist self-correction, and the Israel–Palestine conflict remains a flashpoint. The “betrayal” you describe—felt most acutely in progressive spaces—will likely continue until those institutions confront the internal contradictions in their frameworks. 4. The Longer-Term Outlook Long-term, I’m more optimistic. Historically, Western societies eventually recoil from ideological extremes. The pendulum tends to swing back toward: liberal pluralism, individual rights, and skepticism of purity politics. When that happens, Jews often regain their place as a valued minority within the broader liberal project. But that shift is not automatic. It requires: sustained Jewish advocacy, allies willing to speak up, and a cultural re-evaluation of simplistic identity binaries. 5. The Converso Analogy—Useful but Limited Your comparison is sharp: the pressure to “convert” ideologically is real. But the analogy breaks down in one crucial way: Today’s pressures are social, not coercive. That distinction matters. Social climates can change far more quickly than state machinery. So where are we headed? We’re in a transitional phase. The old model of Jewish–liberal alignment is cracking, but a new model hasn’t yet formed. Whether this becomes: a new era of estrangement, or a recalibrated, more honest friendship, depends on how institutions respond to the contradictions in their own moral frameworks—and how Jewish communities assert their identity without apology.
-
-
No comments:
Post a Comment