Bollinger to Probe Bias on Campus

New York Sun ^ | 10/28/2004 | Jacob Gershman

[foofoopowder]

October 28, 2004 Edition > Section: New York

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Bollinger to Probe Bias on Campus BY JACOB GERSHMAN - Staff Reporter of the Sun October 28, 2004

Engulfed in a public relations crisis, Columbia University has decided to investigate student claims that some professors are prejudiced against Israel and stifle opposing views in the classroom.

Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, said in a statement yesterday that he was "troubled" by student accusations against professors featured in a new documentary film, "Columbia Unbecoming," produced by a pro-Israel group in Boston.

Calling the student accounts "disturbing," Mr. Bollinger said Columbia "does not condone the intimidation of students or discrimination of any kind."

In an unusual move, Mr. Bollinger tapped his provost, American history scholar Alan Brinkley, to investigate the students' complaints "to ensure that the University is upholding its commitment to foster a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect within the community."

[foofoopowder]

A new NY Sun article on discrimination at Columbia. Columbia recently appointed a "Vice Provost" for Diversity. Maybe she should look at the fact that the faculty is more than 90% liberals/registered Demos, etc. We should stop sending our kids to colleges that are so openly biased. http://www.nysun.com/article/3901

[Piranha]

His comments suggest that Mr. Bollinger's focus is not on whether professors at Columbia who study the Middle East have an anti-Israel bias but whether students who feel academically threatened have a clear way to express their grievances.

This sounds about right.

I was at a presentation earlier this week with the dean of one of Columbia's schools (one of the schools in which Middle East policy is covered). She said that the focus of Bollinger's response was going to be a defense of academic freedom. I'm glad to see that its thrust seems to be not simply a defense of anti-Israel faculty tyrants, but instead a defense of the right of both faculty and students to a free exchange of ideas.

[ckilmer]

I hope they do more exposures on columbia.

there likely won't be any exposures of the hopeless monoculture liberalism of the institution but there are plenty of seriously anti american and/or anti israeli professors there who are treated as house pets by the admin and faculty.

[Piranha]

I am aware of two or three anti-Israeli (and even anti-American -- remember the "million Mogadishus" statement?) professors at Columbia.

Except for Edward Said, who is dead, though, I woudn't characterize any of them as house pets.

Whom do you have in mind?

[foofoopowder]

Columbia's faculty is probably 90% or more liberal, socialist, leftist, anti-conservative, anti-Bush, anti-Republican, etc. As such, it is a lot like other "leading" universities. The atmosphere does not lend itself to a "free exchange of ideas", anymore than the Politburo did in the former USSR. For example, this year's commencement speech at Columbia College was heavily anti-Bush, and I guess the speaker assumed all the parents and graduates would enjoy it. I would not pay $40,000 a year to have my kid subjected to radical left or anti-Semitic propaganda.