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Friends and Colleagues, I hope you are enjoying the Halloween season. This marks roughly the 2/3 point, I'd say, in our semesters here at Cassius. The bulk of your duties for the term are complete, and you are looking forward to the holiday season. At least, that was my frame of mind when a very interesting PM arrived in my Inbox, asking a provocation question: Who is teaching DCP's classes right now? I'm sure that some context would be useful. You may recall that not long ago, Dr. Peterson publicly complained on his blog about an undesirable teaching time, and how this relates to a low enrollment in one of his classes. This caused some of us to wonder if there is some kind of tension within his department, and whether or not he is at odds with his colleagues.

And, as my anonymous informant pointed out, Dr. Peterson has been saying since at least Wednesday, October 23rd that he is "Post[ing] from Orlando Florida." He certainly seems to be having quite an enjoyable time, searching out good places to sample Middle Eastern cuisine, and whatnot. Good for him: eat, drink, and be merry, I say!

But, again, you have to wonder: Who is teaching his classes? According to BYU's Class Schedule, Dr. Peterson teaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, he did not teach any of his classes on Thursday, 10/24, and earlier today, he announced on "Sic et Non" that, "I'm going to be on a transcontinental flight for the next several hours." That essentially means that he will not be teaching any of his Tuesday classes tomorrow, and, given that he's heading out of North America, it's unlikely that he will teach his classes on Thursday, 10/31, either. So, that is--at minimum--an entire week and a half (in a row) of no classes. Aren't the students paying tuition for this instruction?

I know, I know: there is going to be an impulse amongst some readers to think that I am inquiring into this for unfair or "vicious" reasons, but I assure you: I am genuinely curious about what's going on. Did a colleague agree to teach these classes in Peterson's absence? (And is any compensation going to this colleague?) Is DCP attempting to teach via Skype, or something along those lines? Has a graduate student been recruited to teach the class? Were the students simply given "homework" to do while the professor is away? He has been announcing to the entire world that he's away from the classroom. Is it wrong to wonder how this is possible?

And if I may be allowed to speculate: Might this in some way have something to do with his article that was recently "censored" by DesNews? The timing is certainly intriguing....

You know, that's a good question. Am I being too harsh by making you guys work? Is it normal for teachers to go on two-week vacations in the middle of the semester? I'm not suggesting anything sinister, I would just like to know the answer. If someone else says, "hey, I'm a professor at __ and taking a couple weeks off for site-seeing" then so be it.

I did see one of the Orlando posts about restaurants, and boasting about eating at Seasons 52. I had to chuckle. I ate there a few times at the SD UTC location, but only because it was getting covered by somebody other than me. It's not bad, but it's really expensive for what you get, and a lot of people who consider themselves trendy go there and so it's crowded. I mean, I don't see myself abandoning ship and flying to Orlando just to eat there and brag about it.

Ty Detmer, the answer is Ty Detmer.

STUPID damned Mormons

All Hail Google GOD and her son eBay and the holy toaster youtube

What is the relevance of this discussion?

Kishkumen wrote:What is the relevance of this discussion?

That the leading Mormon apologist has been *speculatively* sidelined by the Church for his Internet activities, slipshod academic performance, and bizarre articles posted in the public sphere? All signs point to the Church shifting away from polemics and trying its hand at a kinder, gentler branding?

- Doc

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:

Kishkumen wrote:What is the relevance of this discussion?

That the leading Mormon apologist has been *speculatively* sidelined by the Church for his Internet activities, slipshod academic performance, and bizarre articles posted in the public sphere? All signs point to the Church shifting away from polemics and trying its hand at a kinder, gentler branding?

- Doc

I don’t see any evidence of that presented in this thread. I see a professor on a trip, perhaps in connection with a family event. He probably has someone such as Dr. Gee covering his class meetings. This happens on occasion. It happens at my university, and there is nothing remarkable about it.

Kishkumen wrote:I don’t see any evidence of that presented in this thread. I see a professor on a trip, perhaps in connection with a family event. He probably has someone such as Dr. Gee covering his class meetings. This happens on occasion. It happens at my university, and there is nothing remarkable about it.

Well, I think we should be mindful that Dr. Scratch's forté is the study of Mopologetics. It's not a stretch for him, in this field to also include a sort of Mothropological take on his subjects. Who would Jane Goodall be without her sharp observations of her subjects? Likewise, where would the rich history of Mopologetics be without Dr. Scratch's efforts? To expect a homerun every time he conducts a study is a little unfair to him.

- Doc

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:Well, I think we should be mindful that Dr. Scratch's forté is the study of Mopologetics. It's not a stretch for him, in this field to also include a sort of Mothropological take on his subjects. Who would Jane Goodall be without her sharp observations of her subjects? Likewise, where would the rich history of Mopologetics be without Dr. Scratch's efforts? To expect a homerun every time he conducts a study is a little unfair to him.

- Doc

Yes, I understand the study of Mopologetics. I don’t connect with tracking DCP’s movements when he visits family in Florida and has a colleague cover some classes. Turning that into some kind of institutional rebuke of DCP’s apologetic activities is far-fetched, in my opinion.

Kishkumen wrote:... and has a colleague cover some classes.

I'd give 3:1 odds that a colleague is not covering his classes and that he just cancelled them. Covering an evening class for two weeks is not a small favor to ask of a colleague - especially for a low-enrollment class he was upset about being assigned in the first place.

If he just cancelled the classes, too bad for the students who paid for it. Who is teaching DCP's classes, I think is a valid question, given how he complained about his assignment. Is this a thumb in the eye to the administration or is there a valid reason to take a trip during the semester? It sounds as though this was a planned trip that the admin interrupted by forcing a "celebrity" professor to teach a class, and a night class at that? I never had this happen, a professor leaving during the semester for a vacation, that I can remember, during my time in school. Students pay for professors to teach them and not regale them with travel itineraries.