Auckland University in a Mess over Professor-Student Dispute

There is a debate raging in Auckland following the sacking of Dr Buchanan at Auckland University who had sent an insensitive and dismissive email to an Overseas student from UAE.
The debate is going on about the merits of the actions of Dr Buchanan and the University, besides the policies of admitting Overseas Students with poor English and inadequate academic background.

The full story can be read at

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10456458&pnum=0

It appears that Dr Buchanan lost his cool, following concerns about the impending cancellation of funding for his Centre for Latin American Studies and has on-going issues with his employer Auckland Uni and his colleagues. He probably is not a good team player. No doubt academics are bound to be very individualistic and I presume Dr Buchanan was more so, being an American. If he was not in any way happy with the University's policies regarding International Students, he should have raised his concerns in other forums and fought for changing the rules/system.

Unfortunately he took it out on a poor student and picked the wrong one at that (A lady, Arab, Muslim, etc). His language and tone in the email he sent is abominable and he, of all people, should have exercised restraint. He is supposed to be a role model for his students, is he not? Dr Buchanan obviously forgot that his speciality was supposed to be 'international" and 'relations'. He has failed on both counts. May be he is not the right person for his job. And the University recognised it and did away with him when the opportunity presented itself. It is ironical that Dr Buchanan himself provided that opportunity.

George Bush does not speak good English and he does not know his Gerography either. Still he is President of USA and has wrought havoc on the world. It is no crime 'not being proficient in English'. To quote Woodrow Wilson, ' The use of a University is to make young persons as unlike their parents as possible'. So the academics there can always be a little more patient with 'language-challenged students'.

In this inter-connected world today, people are going to move to other countries for different reasons, education being the most important of them. Understanding is required to tolerate them and teach them. Being 'culturally sensitive' cuts both ways.

I am sure most of the students who come to New Zealand to study, take their responsibilities seriously. I do not believe that a girl student would lie about her father's death, just to get extension for an assignment. Cooler heads should have prevailed right from Dr Buchanan's level and this situation could have been avoided.

Now that the die has been cast, it would be interesting to see how everyone involved, including the University Authorities get out of this mess.