A retired philosophy prof from the University of Idaho (the largest educational body north of Riggins, also in Idaho) has taken up a new hobby. Nick Gier, for that is the gentleman’s name, has some correspondence going with TRACS, the body from which New St. Andrews is seeking accreditation.
His concerns are three-fold. First, I have apparently hired a boatload of my relatives to teach at NSA. Secondly, most of the faculty publications come from Canon Press, my very own creation it seems. And third, NSA has attacked the UI administration and faculty and is now pursuing something called “legal discovery” with regard to the UI Black History Month.
With regard to family, the real concern (and thanks, Nick, for this opportunity to come clean) is not the DNA issues at all. The real concern is that between the four of us, we have five degrees from the University of Idaho. We are all thunderstruck that NSA was willing to touch us, even with a barge pole. But the quality of mercy is not strained, but falleth as a gentle rain from heaven. Or something like that.
On the Canon Press titles, we have to admit gross heteroclite behavior as well. Although well-aware of the academic requirement to have all serious publications done by publishing houses that agree to sell no more than 28 copies, we went ahead and let Canon sell books written by our faculty to tens of thousands of people. Who knew that was going to happen? We will try to do better in the future, and would appreciate it if Dr. Gier could give us the contact info for the folks that published his book.
On us attacking UI administration and faculty, this is the one place where we cannot really confess all our little maxima culpas. We are afraid that Prof. Gier (in his role as research professor) has gotten the facts upside down and backwards. It was the UI that spent (some sixteen) thousands of dollars to generate opposition to Credenda’s history conference, and even offered a (for-credit) class to instruct students in how to be good, little protesters against us. Did we retaliate? Not us! But even though this is a boom time for the UI, and we know they have money and to spare, it still seemed a little inadvisable to us.