RE: paleonet anti-evolutionism

["Kaesler, Roger L" <kaesler@xxxxxx>]

Dear colleagues,

I have always taken the view that if my letters of recommendation are to be
taken seriously, I need to have some damning ones out there in addition to
those that extol the virtues of the applicant.  Thus, whereas it seems
perfectly appropriate to base one's recommendation on the student's grasp of
and ability to apply the fundamental principles of science, it is, I
believe, inappropriate to refuse to write a letter for such a student.  To
do so risks that such students will be admitted inadvertently to graduate
school as sort of stealth paleontologists.  We all know what dreadful damage
such people do when they start spouting their creationist nonsense after
they have received credentials that suggest that they should know better.

I suggest, therefore, that one interview students before writing a letter of
recommendation, but if the student is unwilling to apply basic principles of
science-be they gravitational theory, atomic theory, plate-tectonic theory,
or evolutionary theory-then the letter of recommendation should indicate the
student's unsuitability for further study.

Best wishes,

Roger

Roger L. Kaesler
Paleontological Institute-University of Kansas
Lindley Hall
1475 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 121
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7613
(785) 864-3338 = telephone
(785) 864-5276 = FAX
kaesler@ku.edu = e-mail
http://www.ukans.edu/~paleo/

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