The Dirty Thirty

The Dirty Thirty is an initial list of professors that a new UCLA alumni group is targeting to expose their apparent leftist agenda. One of them is Vinay Lal, Professor of History.

The alumni group, Bruin Alumni Assn, is headed by a former campus Republican leader, Andrew Jones who is supporting himself with a modest salary from the organization and is its only full-time employee. The fine print on the website states that it is an independently registered body and is not affiliated with UC, UCLA or UCLA Alumni Assoc. The group is concerned with the level of professional teaching at UCLA and an overwhelming leftist tilt at elite colleges and universities around the country.

I don’t have a problem with the Bruin Alumni Association having a problem with the Dirty Thirty. What really appalled me was the fact that they were paying students upto $100 for lecture notes and recordings from classes. Now, most of us have been students and can understand how handy a crisp $100 would be…not a good idea….

Two board members of the group resigned stating they were uncomfortable with the vigilantism...

Apart from comments in newspapers, I don’t think the University has issued a formal statement. Campus's tend to provide an ideal setting for minds to churn through ideological debates and UCLA is not the only campus where there is a protest going on against faculty.

Seems like everyone’s ticked off – the professors, the alumni group, the university. What about the students? They are being used to get evidence for the professors to face a reprimand or worse. Is anyone including them in this conversation?

Wait a minute, what conversation? Two kids on a playground saying its MY swing and I want it blue/red color……geez….How about a conversation people, before we start attacking and defending and fundraising. Have we lost our will to converse? What's the alum - Academic Vigilantism or Citizens' Right to Protest or both?

Happy Alum Moments (AM's)!