Published: Feb 12, 2005 WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) - College sophomore Charis Bridgman tends to keep quiet in class if she thinks her professor might disagree with her Christian-influenced ideas.
Posted on 02/12/2005 1:06:06 AM PST by TheOtherOne
States Considering Legislation to Counter Perceived Liberalism on College Campuses
Published: Feb 12, 2005 WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) - College sophomore Charis Bridgman tends to keep quiet in class if she thinks her professor might disagree with her Christian-influenced ideas.
The 19-year-old says schools such as her Otterbein College in suburban Columbus should be a place for open discussion, but she feels some professors make students afraid to speak up.
"They might chastise me, or not even listen to my opinion or give me a chance to explain," she said.
Professors would have to include diverse opinions in classrooms under legislation being pushed in Ohio and several other states by conservatives who fear too many professors indoctrinate young minds with liberal propaganda. Such measures have had little success getting approval in the other states.
"I see students coming out having gone in without any ideological leanings one way or another, coming out with an indoctrination of a lot of left-wing issues," said bill sponsor Sen. Larry Mumper, a former high school teacher whose Republican party controls the Legislature.
The proposal in Ohio to create an academic "bill of rights" would prohibit public and private college professors from presenting opinions as fact or penalizing students for expressing their views. Professors would not be allowed to introduce controversial material unrelated to the course.
Professors dismissed the bill as unnecessary and questioned whether its supporters had ulterior motives, such as wanting more conservative professors.
Similar legislation failed in California and Colorado last year, while the Georgia Senate passed a resolution, which is less binding than a bill, that suggests adoption. The California bill, which would affect only public schools, has been reintroduced and faces opposition from professors and student groups. An Indiana bill is nearly identical to Ohio's.
The Ohio legislation is based on principles advocated by Students for Academic Freedom, a Washington, D.C.-based student network founded by conservative activist David Horowitz.
"It doesn't matter a professor's viewpoint," Horowitz said in an interview. "They can be a good professor, liberal or conservative, provided they pursue an educational mission and not a political agenda."
Mumper said he is concerned universities are not teaching the values held by taxpaying parents and students.
He questioned why lawmakers should approve funding for universities with "professors who would send some students out in the world to vote against the very public policy that their parents have elected us for."
A faculty group or school committee could oversee complaints from students who believe their grades were affected by a professor's bias, Mumper said.
Joe White, a political science professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said students could use perceived discrimination as an excuse to refuse to learn.
"We're not supposed to teach for their comfort," he said.
Other opponents, including the American Association of University Professors, say such bills could stifle debate.
"We see nothing but mischief if we invite people from outside of the university to somehow start monitoring what goes on inside the classroom," said David Patton, an AAUP member and professor emeritus of Ohio State University.
Sen. Teresa Fedor, a Democrat from Toledo, agrees: "Can we say 21st century witch hunt and book burning?"
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On The Net:
www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org
www.aaup.org
AP-ES-02-12-05 0330EST
The thing that comes through is how SCARED these people sound of a variety of ideas.
States Considering Legislation to Counter Perceived Liberalism on College Campuses
Perceived Liberalism? Pondering Legislation? Please states, don't enact laws until you actually recognize the problem. There is nothing "perceived" about it.
The dept of education maintains a list of recognized accrediting bodies.
They should put pressure on these bodies to require intellectual diversity as part of accreditation.
No intellectual diversity should mean no recognition.
Ward Churchill, we're coming to GET YOU!!
This one has "unintended consequences that bite you in the butt" written all over it.
It is intersting how one will pick up erroneous information when it is presented by adults. Good for you for correcting the lesson on Arafat.
I agree, and would not support it. There is already enough to protect students. I can see kids complaining now that they got a C becuase they were the wrong political stripe, etc. I had idiots teaching in college and great professors too, c'mon we cannot legislate excellence in the workplace, this is true for teachers, politicians, and well everybody.
Right. But imagine if there was someone else who was not teaching that Arafat is a great freedom fighter. Would this law REQUIRE that they call Arafat a freedom fighter just for the sake of academic diversity?
Suppose that a campus does not have a barking moonbat nut job like Ward Churchill. Would "academic diversity" mandate that the campus find such a professor and give them a job?
I agree, and would not support it. There is already enough to protect students. I can see kids complaining now that they got a C becuase they were the wrong political stripe, etc. I had idiots teaching in college and great professors too, c'mon we cannot legislate excellence in the workplace, this is true for teachers, politicians, and well everybody.
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A student threatened to sue my wife for giving her an F in her psychology class. That's pretty ridiculous. I totally agree with your reply.
Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."
Instead of forcing the liberal colleges into submission with legislation (which they will ignore anyhow), hit em where it hurts, in the pocketbook... parents need to open their eyes and decide whether that kind of "education" is worth it.. just because a school has a big name doesn't mean it's quality.. parents need to do more research into where they want to send their kids, and have the nuggets to pull em out of liberal colleges in droves...
"Your wife gave me an F because I didn't agree with Bush's FASCIST WAR, man!"
There's a tacit admission here that conservative professors actually allow more diversity of opinion in classrooms and have less tendency to posit opinion as fact!
This article is a classic case of liberal bias in the media.
The issue is not "liberal" professors, it is radical anti-American professors who profess treason and socialism.
The article makes it sound like a bunch of mean religious fanatics are trying to end free speech on campus and persecute a bunch of harmless liberals.
AP really really sucks.
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i'd rather have our professors professing socialism than outside our university system. at least people can learn the faults and drawbacks of it, and it strengthens the arguments for free market. one of the best professors i had in university was a self professed communist and even though he was very obtuse, i did the work, passed the class and learned something about making rational arguments against communism, as opposed to just 'you commie bastard!'. i would be much more afraid of people who are ignorant of educated marxists.
No need for this.
All that's needed is a public forum for students who think they're being penalized for conservative views to post their experiences and for parents of these students to lodge complaints with the college/university their child is attending.
Let the free market work. Full and detailed disclosure will help matters along. David Horowitz has made this issue a priority and his efforts are showing results.
You can bet the Univ. of Colorado is suffering mightily over this Churchill character, both financially and prestigiously. That's how it's supposed to work.
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