the University of Pennsylvania

Submitted by Anthony Gockowski via CampusReform.org,

Students at the University of Pennsylvania removed a portrait of Shakespeare from a prominent location in the school’s English department after complaining that he did not represent a diverse range of writers.

In fact, the chair of the department confirmed in a statement that the portrait was stripped from the wall by his students as “a way of affirming their commitment to a more inclusive mission for the English department,” The Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

Ears pressed against texts the rhythms of which they have memorized over decades, some professors can similarly syncopate their pupils’ minds and hearts. Students with the sense and luck to find them discover quickly that the status quo in most courses doesn’t apply in this one; regurgitation is anathema. These teachers forge thinkers, showing their pupils how to analyze and assess for themselves.