Posted on 11/09/2003 10:47:08 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Students accuse Wells of liberal bias
Members of college GOP group say their conservative views are ridiculed in class.
Sunday, November 09, 2003
By David L. Shaw
The Wells College Republicans student organization has gone public with its concerns about what they call a liberal bias among the faculty and intimidation when conservative views are expressed in the classroom.
The 10-student group, formed last spring, has questioned the liberal arts college's commitment to political diversity on the faculty and demanded action - such as disciplining a professor whose e-mail made derogatory comments about Republicans, calling them "stupid" and making a reference to the need for "lobotomies."
Members also allege they've been ridiculed in class at the 450-student, all-women's college for their support of the Iraq war and their views on the topic of feminism.
College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said Friday she supports the group's existence and plans to meet with the group Monday to discuss their concerns. Also, she wants to encourage a campuswide discussion on the issues.
Ryerson urged those involved in the discussion to be civil, take responsibility for their comments and be accurate in information they share.
Junior Kristy L. Hochenberger, of Syracuse, is the president of the Wells student Republican group. She said the group checked public voter enrollment records for the 37 members of the social science and humanities faculty at Wells.
"Of the 37 faculty members on the social and human sciences department, 34 of them were found to be enrolled with parties of the left compared to only three enrolled in a party of the right," Hochenberger said.
She identified parties of the left as Democrats, Liberal or Working Families. Parties of the right are Republican or Conservative.
The names of the faculty members were obtained from the 2003-2004 Wells College student handbook. The party enrollments were determined from records from the boards of elections in Cayuga, Tompkins, Cortland, Onondaga and Seneca counties.
Hochenberger, a Bishop Grimes High School graduate, said she comes from a long line of staunch Republicans. She said when she explored Wells as a college she might want to attend, she was not made aware of what she called its liberal leanings.
"It didn't take long to see how liberal it was after I came here. The professors and the education I receive is excellent, but the professors seem to use class as a political soapbox," she said, citing numerous criticisms of President Bush - especially since the war in Iraq began - and what's wrong with America.
In a feminism class, she questioned why the word black as in black women was capitalized and white as in white women was not. She said for that, she was criticized, intimidated and labeled a racist, which she denied.
She also said she was ridiculed when she spoke in support of the war in Iraq.
She cited a campuswide e-mail from biology professor W. Thomas Vawter that labels Republicans as "stupid" and closes with the following quote: "Lobotomies for Republicans: It's not just a good idea; it's the law!" - Yellow Dog."
"We are outraged by Professor Vawter's comments. A conservative professor saying similar things would be gone," Hochenberger said. "Feminist and liberal leaders would be flying into Aurora from around the country to support the beleaguered students and call for punishment of the professor," she said.
Vawter could not be reached for comment. Gwendolyn R. Webber-McLeod, Wells director of communications, confirmed the e-mail had been sent.
The Wells Republicans said many of the college's professors "forcefully voice their liberal political views in class."
"As a result, a number of us with more conservative or traditional opinions are intimidated and reluctant to open up," Hochenberger said. "Students cannot receive a well-rounded, balanced education if they are only hearing one side of the issues."
Hochenberger said the group is calling upon Wells to make a number of changes:
To fulfill its stated commitment to diversity by seeking to redress the gross political imbalance in the faculty, through the hiring of faculty members with a broad diversity of political views.
To promote an atmosphere in the classrooms of openness and respect for divergent views, particularly those of traditional and conservative students.
To pledge the adherence of Wells to the Academic Bill of Rights, a document intended to promote academic freedom and diversity on American campuses.
Hochenberger also called on Ryerson and the college administration to condemn Vawter's "intemperate language" and take measures to ensure that Republicans at Wells are free to express themselves without "fear of this kind of hateful and threatening response."
Conservative student concerns on American college campuses was the topic of an article Monday in USA Today.
The article states that at many campuses, large and small, public and private, students describe a culture in which freshmen are encouraged, if not required, to attend diversity programs that portray white males as oppressors.
In April, two students sued Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, arguing that several parts of the school's conduct code and diversity policies intimidated them into keeping silent about their conservative politics and beliefs.
Shippensburg graduate Ellen Wray, who now works for a Republican organization in Washington, was one of those suing the school. She said she was frustrated by policies that dismiss or ignore conservative points of view.
The article describes other campuses and incidents where conservatives tell how they are being discriminated against. It also says several groups have formed to advocate for those students.
© 2003 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.
Copyright 2003 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved.
What would be the career expectancy of a conservative prof who sent a campus-wide email saying that all feminists should be lobotomized?
Trying to drag us down to their level, I see.
Hey, I resemble that remark!
But seriously, not positive what you're shooting at, but if the suggestion is that profs should be "objective," I respectfully disagree.
I think a good give and take of ideas is desirable, and for that, we need a reasonable balance on the faculty.
Since Al Sharpton is from NYC, I assume he would beat Jesse Jackson to the campus. So the fire at the stake at which the prof was burned might already have gone out by the time poor Jesse got there. He might have to settle for spitting on the ashes.
Balance of what? Party membership?
Well, come out with it. Balanced with a conservative who would like to lobotomize liberals? There is no doubt that there is a serious problem here, apart from crude slogans, and getting worse. But the restatement of a problem gets us nowhere near the solution. what is balance? And once you have achieved it, do you need something to balance that?
like a rolling stone, no direction home . . .
Shame one somebody for that naïveté. It's sad. The role of parents is what Horowitz should push.
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