[AISWorld] Question: do we really want to risk turning AIS into a political lobbying organization?

[Hossein Seif Zadeh]

Dear Leon,
I appreciate you are trying to keep politics out of AIS. Fair enough.  But may I suggest, therefore, that as an esteemed academic and before feeling relaxed and stating “all the problems appear to have been resolved” and “... many felt safer by these actions too”,  do a quick Google search on topics such as 'terror attacks in the united stated by citizens of countries'?  Let us, either as individuals or a collective group of academics, get our facts right before deciding whether we should or should not take any action for or against anything?

Sincerely,
Hossein


> On 31 Jan 2017, at 6:36 pm, mehrdad koohi <mehrdadkoohikamali at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important; border-left:1px #715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important; background-color:white !important; } Dear Dr. Kappelman,Long time no see! I had a chance to work and study at UNT, same department as you. I was fortunate to have discussions with you about different topics. From what I recall, you had a great passion toward ethical behaviors within organizations. You probably are not very aware of the severity of this isssue. I am surprised by the image you have in your mind from the situation.  You mentioned "all the problems appear to have been resolved". Let me tell you one example so you re-consider your evaluations. For a long time I cannot leave the country due to the impossibility of my return. I am not even sure if I can stay here, get tenured, succeed at my school, and contribute more to the society; just because of my nationality. This is not temporary nor a small issue for many. Censorship is not an unfamiliar behavior for many of us. Unfortunately, it is more heartbreaking that we bring tale stories up to defend it. We all, are teaching or have taught an IS course with at least one session dedicated to importance of morality. You may recall that I was tutor/TA manager at UNT and responsible for looking into numerous resumes to make the hiring decision. I hardly practiced to avoid discriminations against certain group of people. Information systems discipline is not seperable of politics. You may not like it because AIS may lose its tax exemptions, but there are higher moral values involved. Censorship in academia is dangerous and ignorance is bliss! 
> 
> 
> On Monday, January 30, 2017, 8:49 PM, Kappelman, Leon <Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu> wrote:
> 
> You said “We should all speak up when politics interferes with these basic human rights.”  Protesting a government policy is political by definition.
> 
> PS, legally speaking, I’m not too sure anyone’s “academic freedom and basic human rights” have been infringed upon anyway.  No doubt, some folks were inconvenienced over the weekend and the bureaucracy fumbled a bit as it often does, but all the problems appear to have been resolved.  Yes, some uncertainty remains, but exception processes are being worked on.  Sure, some reacted fearfully (and understandably so given the abundance of hyperbolic media, politicians, and special interest groups), but many felt safer by these actions too.  Should we be vigilant?  Of course, very much so.  We remain a nation of laws with, thanks to the wisdom of our founders, a relatively weak executive kept in check by the courts, legislature, free albeit biased press, and a vocal citizenry.  But I see only downside for AIS if we drag it into the political arena, risking its tax exemption and reputation.
> 
> 
> From: UNCG [mailto:pcpalvia at uncg.edu]
> Sent: Monday, January 30, 2017 9:21 PM
> To: Kappelman, Leon <Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu>
> Cc: AISWorld <aisworld at lists.aisnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [AISWorld] Question: do we really want to risk turning AIS into a political lobbying organization?
> 
> Leon keeps making it a political issue when it is not. I don't understand why. If there was curtailing of academic freedom during previous administrations, I am sure AIS members would have spoken up.
> 
> In any case, I am thankful to Leon as he raised the subject and started the conversation. It brought to light that, in general, AIS members value academic freedom and human rights. Perhaps, discreetly it was his intention.
> 
> Thank you, Leon.
> 
> Prashant Palvia
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Jan 30, 2017, at 9:01 PM, "Kappelman, Leon" <Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu<mailto:Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu>> wrote:
> It is wonderful that we as individuals have the freedom to protest and speak freely.  I’m simply saying that it’s best that we all keep our political and religious beliefs out of AIS official policies and actions.  But if we think doing otherwise is a good idea, I strongly suggest we get a legal opinion or two before we do something that will jeopardize our tax exemption.
> 
> BTW, was it an AIS issue when President Obama banned Iraqi immigration to the US for six months?  Seems political preferences are somewhat at play with the current brouhaha.  And I’m all for every AIS member’s political preferences.  My point is simply that we should not use AIS to further them.
> 
> Watch out for that confounding, hyperbole-prone camel with the big nose too (-‘
> 
> "He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that." – John Stuart Mill
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Leon A. Kappelman, Ph.D.
>   Professor of Information Systems<http://www.cob.unt.edu/profiles/112>
>   Director Emeritus, Information Systems Research Center
>     College of Business, University of North Texas
>     Voice: 940-565-4698  Email: kapp at unt.edu<mailto:kapp at unt.edu>
>   Primary Investigator, SIM’s Annual IT Trends Study<http://www.simnet.org/?ITTrendsStudy>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
> 
> From: Prashant Palvia [mailto:pcpalvia at uncg.edu]
> Sent: Monday, January 30, 2017 7:45 PM
> To: Kappelman, Leon <Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu<mailto:Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu>>; AISWorld <aisworld at lists.aisnet.org<mailto:aisworld at lists.aisnet.org>>
> Subject: Re: [AISWorld] Question: do we really want to risk turning AIS into a political lobbying organization?
> 
> I sent this message earlier. Somehow, it only went to Leon.
> 
> ------------
> Excuse me, Leon.  This is absolutely non-political. Please do not confuse the issue. The freedom to conduct research and teach are academic issues.  We should all speak up when politics interferes with these basic human rights.  So there should be no attempt to suppress our voices. And yes, AIS is absolutely the right forum to talk about it; AIS represents all of us academics.
> In fact, this is the time to speak up.  This is not the time to be shy or be intimidated.  I urge the entire AIS community to band together and peacefully oppose the breach of academic freedom and basic human rights.
> 
> Thank you all,
> 
> Prashant
> ----
> 
> Prashant Palvia, Ph.D., Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor, https://baelearn.uncg.edu/people/palvia/
> Bryan School of Business and Economics
> The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
> 426 Bryan Building, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA, Ph: 336.334.4818<tel:%28336%29%20334-4818>
> Editor in Chief, JGITM, http://www.tandfonline.com/UGIT
>   Submit papers to JGITM at http://www.editorialmanager.com/ugit
> Associate Editor, Information & Management
> The World IT Project http://www.WorldITproject.com<http://WorldITproject.com>
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jan 29, 2017 at 1:29 PM, Kappelman, Leon <Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu<mailto:Leon.Kappelman at unt.edu>> wrote:
> Question: do we really want to risk turning AIS into a political lobbying organization or are there already other venues for the political activities in which AIS members may wish to engage?
> 
> Seems to me we should keep AIS focused on the issues that concern us as academics - our research and teaching - and keep government policies on immigration, healthcare, gun rights, taxes, abortion, tariffs, and everything else in the venues where they belong.
> 
> "Let us be men, not monkeys minding machines, or sitting with our tails curled, while the machine amuses us." - D. H. Lawrence
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Leon A. Kappelman, Ph.D.
>   Professor of Information Systems<http://www.cob.unt.edu/profiles/112>
>   Director Emeritus, Information Systems Research Center
>     College of Business, University of North Texas
>     Voice: 940-565-4698<tel:940-565-4698>  Email: kapp at unt.edu<mailto:kapp at unt.edu><mailto:kapp at unt.edu<mailto:kapp at unt.edu>>
>   Primary Investigator, SIM's Annual IT Trends Study<http://www.simnet.org/?ITTrendsStudy>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
> 
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