Term paper about 'God' earns student failing grade

[Bono]

www.vvdailypress.com/2005/111996392756993.html

Term paper about 'God' earns student failing grade
'He told me you might as well write about the Easter Bunny. He wanted to censor the word God.'


Story Photo

Aaron J.H. Walker / Staff Photographer
Bethany Hauf looks through a draft of her final paper titled 'In God We Trust' at her home in Apple Valley.
By LEROY STANDISH/Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE — For using the "G" word 41 times in a term paper, Bethany Hauf was given an "F" by her Victor Valley Community College instructor.

Hauf's teacher approved her term paper topic — Religion and its Place within the Government — on one condition: Don't use the word God. Instead of complying with VVCC adjunct instructor Michael Shefchik's condition Hauf wrote a 10-page report for her English 101 class entitled "In God We Trust."

"He said it would offend others in class," Hauf, a 34-year-old mother of four, said. "I didn't realize God was taboo."

Hauf has received legal assistance from the American Center for Law and Justice. The ACLJ is a conservative Christian legal foundation founded by Dr. M.G. "Pat" Robertson, who is also the founder, chairman and face of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

"I don't loose my First Amendment rights when I walk into that college," Hauf said. She is demanding an apology from the teacher and that the paper be re-graded.

The college says the issue over Hauf's paper, written during the spring semester, has been satisfactorily resolved. "We settled this matter during the course of this class," said Judy Solis, chair of VVC's English department. "She was treated fairly and she knew what the options were."

Shefchik could not be reached for this report.

Hauf took her concerns about not being able to use "God" in her report to her teacher, then to the department chair. During a joint meeting between all three the options were laid out: Hand in the report with the "G" word or revise, edit or re-write the paper, Solis said.

"She continued to write her paper," Solis said. "She knew what the consequences were."

Hauf acknowledges she knew her teacher's condition for writing the paper, but argued it would be impossible to write about the affect of Christianity on the development of the United States without using the word God. "He told me you might as well write about the Easter Bunny," Hauf said. "He wanted to censor the word God."

Hauf first approached her teacher about writing her paper in an April 12 e-mail, according to a 12-page ACLJ paper sent to the college offering legal opinions in favor of Hauf.

Shefchik wrote her back an e-mail approving her topic choice, but at the same time cautioning her to be objective in her reporting. "I have one limiting factor," Shefchik wrote, according to the ACLJ. "No mention of big 'G' gods, i.e., one, true god argumentation."

The ACLJ said his actions are unconstitutional. "A student's constitutional free speech rights to express religious views are fully protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments," the ACLJ wrote.

In addition to an apology and a re-grading of Hauf's paper, the ACLJ demands Shefchik "receive some kind of training to sensitize him to the constitutional dimensions of his employment in a public educational institution, including his duty to respect constitutional freedoms of expression."

Hauf's husband supports his wife's position. "She has to pursue this. Not only has her civil rights been violated this is an English class she took, not a political science course," Fritz Hauf said. "She should be graded on the composition not the 'G' word."

Though getting an "F" on the research paper Hauf got a "C" for the class.

LeRoy Standish may be reached at 951-6277 or leroy_standish@link.freedom.com.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

stupid. A student should be allowed to write about whatever they want.

Hear that Richius and dazzleman? Now I wonder if they'll still committ the idiotic logical fallacy and say all liberals approve of this.

[KEmperor]

If the topic was approved as being Religion and Government, the restriction on using the word god is just idiotic.

[John Dibble]

It's an English class - how well the paper was written is what should be graded, not whether or not the teacher likes the contents or not.

[Storebought]

If the topic was approved as being Religion and Government, the restriction on using the word god is just idiotic.

In a Drama class I took, students weren't allowed to write research papers about religious plays, even though that genre existed 300 years before Shakespeare...

[bgwah]

The paper probably sucked, too.

I guess that if I have to write a paper about the American Revolution, but instead write about the Civil War, I'll sue my teacher when I get an F because they are limiting my freedom of speech!

And talk about a one-sided story. Just more fundies trying to make it look like they're some persecuted minority. What a joke.

[Storebought]

The paper probably sucked, too.

I guess that if I have to write a paper about the American Revolution, but instead write about the Civil War, I'll sue my teacher when I get an F because they are limiting my freedom of speech!

And talk about a one-sided story. Just more fundies trying to make it look like they're some persecuted minority. What a joke.

No, you misread the scope of the assignment.

The assignment was about the role of religion in government. In the United States, at least, some mention of religion would necessarily entail a discussion about a belief in God. The two are intimately related, not at all like your Civil War/US Revolution nonsense.

Not to mention, even subliterate papers don't receive 'F's anymore.

Next time, keep your atheistic trollery to yourself.

[KEmperor]

If the topic was approved as being Religion and Government, the restriction on using the word god is just idiotic.

In a Drama class I took, students weren't allowed to write research papers about religious plays, even though that genre existed 300 years before Shakespeare...

Well, if the professor wishes to do that, that's his business.  However, if the topic "The role of religion in government" was approved by the professor than restricting the word god makes no sense.

[Storebought]

If the topic was approved as being Religion and Government, the restriction on using the word god is just idiotic.

In a Drama class I took, students weren't allowed to write research papers about religious plays, even though that genre existed 300 years before Shakespeare...

Well, if the professor wishes to do that, that's his business.  However, if the topic "The role of religion in government" was approved by the professor than restricting the word god makes no sense.

True. But in that same Drama class, I wrote my paper on Bertolt Brecht, whose plays were not even remotely associated with Christianity. And even on that, the prof accused me of plagiarism b/c I used German words, the stupid b*.

Anyhow, this girl has every right to lodge a complaint against that pigheaded community college "prof"

[MODU]

From a school point of view:

I don't recall having anything in our regulations regarding this kind of incident back when I managed my University Campus, so I'm not sure how I would have had my Dean punish the instructor.  Personally, while I would have wanted to tell the Dean to either take one class away from the instructor the following quarter (or Semester in this case) or suspend him if he was only teaching one class, I think the only recourse we would have had would be a counselling session.  It would be up to the student to make a case for stricter punishment.

[bgwah]

The paper probably sucked, too.

I guess that if I have to write a paper about the American Revolution, but instead write about the Civil War, I'll sue my teacher when I get an F because they are limiting my freedom of speech!

And talk about a one-sided story. Just more fundies trying to make it look like they're some persecuted minority. What a joke.

No, you misread the scope of the assignment.

The assignment was about the role of religion in government. In the United States, at least, some mention of religion would necessarily entail a discussion about a belief in God. The two are intimately related, not at all like your Civil War/US Revolution nonsense.

Not to mention, even subliterate papers don't receive 'F's anymore.

Next time, keep your atheistic trollery to yourself.

Who cares if it doesn't make sense?

She was given an assignment with a set of guidelines that she voluntarily chose not to follow. She deserves an F.

[Everett]

Who cares if it doesn't make sense?

She was given an assignment with a set of guidelines that she voluntarily chose not to follow. She deserves an F.

I suppose you've spent your entire life following every rule very literally?

[bgwah]

Who cares if it doesn't make sense?

She was given an assignment with a set of guidelines that she voluntarily chose not to follow. She deserves an F.

I suppose you've spent your entire life following every rule very literally?

Not exactly.

But if I had a paper that had one rule, I would not violate it.

Not only did this girl break that rule, she broke it as much as possible. Don't you think 41 times is a bit redundant? And putting it in the title of the paper? She's trying to make a big deal out of this. She wanted him to fail her.

[Everett]

Who cares if it doesn't make sense?

She was given an assignment with a set of guidelines that she voluntarily chose not to follow. She deserves an F.

I suppose you've spent your entire life following every rule very literally?

Not exactly.

But if I had a paper that had one rule, I would not violate it.

Not only did this girl break that rule, she broke it as much as possible. Don't you think 41 times is a bit redundant? And putting it in the title of the paper? She's trying to make a big deal out of this. She wanted him to fail her.

You just admitted it yourself - you don't ALWAYS follow rules to the letter. Don't act like a Fundie about rule-breaking then.

Yeah, I really want my professor to fail me, too. That's why I have bent rules that make no sense.

[bgwah]

Who cares if it doesn't make sense?

She was given an assignment with a set of guidelines that she voluntarily chose not to follow. She deserves an F.

I suppose you've spent your entire life following every rule very literally?

Not exactly.

But if I had a paper that had one rule, I would not violate it.

Not only did this girl break that rule, she broke it as much as possible. Don't you think 41 times is a bit redundant? And putting it in the title of the paper? She's trying to make a big deal out of this. She wanted him to fail her.

You just admitted it yourself - you don't ALWAYS follow rules to the letter. Don't act like a Fundie about rule-breaking then.

Yeah, I really want my professor to fail me, too. That's why I have bent rules that make no sense.

Your argument is terrible.

[Josh/Devilman88]

If the teacher told her not to put the big "G" word in the paper and she did, then she should have got an F. I am a Christian, but if you don't listen to the teacher and you do something you was not suppose to put in your paper then you get an F. 

[The Dowager Mod]

If  she was instructed not to use certain words and did anyway she deserves an "F".

[opebo]

Good for that teacher!  We need more people who recognize what a threat religion is to the nation - and particularly to impressionable youth!

[A18]

Yeah, we really do need an ignore function.

[phk]

Quite pleased to hear this, education and religion are definite opposing values.

[John Dibble]

Quite pleased to hear this, education and religion are definite opposing values.

Oh please. As I said, it's an English paper - the paper should be graded on how well it was written and if it stayed on subject, not what beliefs the author was trying to convey.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

What a frivilous lawsuit. Try following instructions.

[MODU]

I say the student is right in this case and the professor is not.  There probably wouldn't be a lawsuit, and the Dean will tell the professor to grade it fairly, dispite the fact that God is capitalized.

[jokerman]

What an outrage!  An evil scourage upon religion and morality!  Good thing the ACLJ stepped in to teach that proffessor his place.

[John Dibble]

Can we assume that this was not a relgious school that she was attending? If she is such a religious fanatic why wasn't she going to a religious school in the first place?

1. A person doesn't have to be a religious fanatic to believe in God.

2. If the school is not privately owned, that is it's a government school, then freedom of religion still applies.