This memorable quotation from Springtime for Hitler serves nicely to introduce Harvard’s latest attempt to shut up its critics. UD‘s friend Bill sends her this link to a New York Times article. Excerpts:
Harvard Medical School is backing off a new student policy that would have restricted interaction with the news media after students complained it would chill their ability to talk about current issues in medicine, school officials said Tuesday.
… Nate Favini, a Harvard medical student and chairman of the Student Council Advisory Board, said in an e-mail message Tuesday: “Instead of limiting students, we should encourage bold thinking and allow them to advocate for the reforms that our health care system so badly needs.”
[The dean of students] did not deny that the policy was prompted in part by student remarks earlier this year about the influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical education.
… David Tian and Kirsten Austad, activist medical students at Harvard, said in an e-mail message Tuesday, “It is hard to imagine that this new policy is not somehow related to the past advocacy efforts of students. The reason we spoke out against conflicts of interest was to promote patient welfare as the primary concern of medicine, in the face of institutional practices that can harm patient care.”…
Half empty, half full kind of thing… Empty people protecting Joseph Biederman’s privileges… But, on the other hand, young people full of moral ferocity…
Usually the empty people win. Maybe this time they won’t.
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:05PM
Too bad that when push comes to shove, those students choose salary over service: "Fewer Medical Students Choose Family Medicine in 2009 Match"
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/resident-student-focus/20090319match.html