20 September 2007
“President Lilley has laryngitis”
William Dembski
Today’s Baylor Lariat (the student newspaper) has an amazing editorial:
Editorial: Lilley’s two cents are missing
Sept. 20, 2007Being Baylor’s president is not an easy job. Between managing a staff of professors and administrators and fundraising enough to finance Baylor 2012, President John Lilley has a lot on his plate.
But one of the most crucial roles a university president must play, especially during times of dispute, is to act as the face of the university. By virtue of his job description, Lilley is the voice of Baylor. Lately it seems he has laryngitis.
When Baylor was thrust into the national spotlight for shutting down distinguished professor Dr. Robert Marks’ intelligent design Web site, representatives from media relations answered questions, not Lilley.
. . .
Even former president Robert B. Sloan Jr. is easier to get ahold of than Lilley. When The Lariat called the office of the Houston Baptist University president, we were patched right through.
However, when trying to reach our own president, we run into a string of red tape that media relations proudly declares is “the same treatment we give the New York Times.” This is nothing to brag about.
. . .
In an article by the Baptist Press, former Baylor professor William Dembski infers that Lilley is the culprit behind the changes to Marks’ Web site due to his absence at the August meeting. If Lilley had only been there, Dembski couldn’t make such an argument. . . .
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1
russ
09/20/2007
1:52 pm
eUniversity spokesperson Lori Fogleman, in explaining Lilley’s decision not to meet with Ben Stein, referred to Stein as “comedic actor Ben Stein”. While this is true, it is not the whole truth, and Expelled is not the comic farse she would apparently like us to believe. He’s also done quite a bit of serious work including a stint as a presidential speechwriter.
It reminds me of when Arnold Schwartznegger was running for governor against incumbent Grey Davis, and the L.A. times headline referred to him as “Actor”, as in “Actor, Governor in close race”. Yes he’s an actor, but it was clear that the headline was designed to denigrate one candidate and exalt the other. Fogleman has done the same thing.
2
John Kelly
09/20/2007
3:00 pm
e“But one of the most crucial roles a university president must play, especially during times of dispute, is to act as the face of the university.”
I guess some have their face confused with their a$$.
3
DonaldM
09/20/2007
3:39 pm
eAny way you want to look it, this is a devastating editorial for Lilley. He can ignore critics outside the university all he wants, but this is coming from inside his own house — his students. He’d better pay attention!
4
idnet.com.au
09/20/2007
4:36 pm
eIn the land where free speech is prized, silence speaks much louder than words.
5
Lurker
09/20/2007
5:21 pm
eOff Topic: After 150 years science claims to know how Darwinism works, yet 150 years later science is still scratching its head trying to figure out how a bicycle works.
“For nearly 150 years, scientists have been puzzled by the bicycle. How on earth is it possible that a moving bicycle can, all by itself, be so stable?”
Go figure.
6
Jasini
09/20/2007
5:47 pm
eI don’t think a moving bike is stable all by itself.
7
shaner74
09/20/2007
6:11 pm
eThis Lilley guy really needs some lessons in PR. He’s very proficient at dropping the ball. Wait a second…is he another DI mole??? How much $$ is he getting to give Ben Stein this kind of ammo? I bet he’s getting one billion dollars.
8
ex-xian
09/20/2007
7:38 pm
eAfter years of research scientists claim to know how to cure malaria, yet years later science is still scratching its head trying to figure out how to cure the common cold.
Go figure.
9
Scott
09/20/2007
8:00 pm
e“Any way you want to look it, this is a devastating editorial for Lilley. ”
Come now. An editorial in a student newspaper is devastating for a university president? And it’s relatively mild compared to some I’ve seen.
If this incident has any lasting effect on Lilley, it won’t be because of one editorial in the student newspaper,
10
DaveScot
09/20/2007
8:39 pm
elurker
I wasn’t aware there was any mystery behind a bicycle’s stability. The wheels are gyroscopes and as such resist changes in attitude when revolving. The faster they revolve the more energetically they resist any change.
jasini
A bicycle with the wheels spinning is more stable than one that isn’t. Neither will stay upright forever as friction will slow the moving wheels. Try this experiment. Take a top, stand it it on end, but don’t spin it and see how long it takes to fall over. Then give a good spin and see how long it takes to fall over. That’s a demonstration of the gyroscopic effect. Spin imparted on bicycle wheels impart stability just like the spin imparted on a top.
11
DaveScot
09/20/2007
8:42 pm
escott
This is the internet age. A minor brouhaha that in the past would only be read by students on campus in the student newspaper can now easily reach an audience of millions (many millions if it makes The Drudge Report).
12
Jasini
09/20/2007
9:04 pm
eBut a bicycle going by itself quickly turns its front wheel, and either falls over or runs into something. I’ve tried it.