Posted on 02/28/2005 11:44:20 AM PST by Pendragon_6
Here in Ohio lots of people are in an uproar about State Sen. Larry Mumper's Senate Bill 24 (SB 24), which is based on David Horowitz's "Academic Bill of Rights." I write a weekly column for my school newspaper, and a few weeks ago I wrote a column advocating SB 24's implementation. For the next week I was mauled by liberals who wrote letters to the editor saying I want to strip the entire universe of its freedom of speech, that conservatives are whiny babies, and other friendly reminders that left-wing radicalism is alive and well at my school. Even my most conservative professor is against an Academic Bill of Rights for students; his reasoning being that it would make educational speech and expression state-controlled. If that's really the issue - that they're afraid of state involvement in education, shouldn't they have a problem with the fact that a majority of educational funding comes from the state?
My more liberal professors, like the one I had last semester who forced us to read Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Robert McChesney, and other assorted socialists, would say that a bill like SB 24 would make them feel limited as to what they could say, therefore they'd do the same thing to their students. (One of my Poli Sci profs told me this.) Well, don't they already limit their conservative students to what they can say by making conservative opinions completely outlawed?!?! I say: don't feel limited as to what you can say, but balance it with fact. I'm not paying tuition to hear a subjective, liberal rant. Just like liberal professors claim they have a right to their "academic freedom" (to say what they want in the classroom), I think it's just as much my right, as a student, to receive an objective and informative education - so my generation of educators doesn't turn out to be one that lives to indoctrinate its students. Maybe it's because I'm older than most of my classmates (I'll be 23 in April; I took a year off to work on the Bush-Cheney campaign), but I've learned to stand up to my professors, and I know my Poli Sci professors appreciate it, but I've run into others who don't.
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What stinks is you can be an engineering major, and still find these classes are required to graduate. It's sick.
The bill doesn't even provide a mechanism for sorting this stuff out except for a very vague internal grievance process at individual schools -- which already exists.
And I highly doubt that administrators at private schools such as Ashland University (conservative) or Oberlin (leftie) are pleased with this bill, for good reason.
Have you even read the bill?
It has nothing to do with the government 'policing' what is said.
It says that if you have a 'left' leaning opinion then, to be fair, you must allow a balance from the 'right' and NOT be allowed to dismiss someone elses opinion, whether you agree or not.
This is exactly what is going on in our Colleges, across the country.
It's a matter of allow a 'balanced' view of a subject.
Not forcing anyone to do bring in invited speakers as a balance, but ALLOWING outside speakers.
Yes. Have you?
It says that if you have a 'left' leaning opinion then, to be fair, you must allow a balance from the 'right'....
And vice versa. Not all opinions, left or right, are valid.
Will someone who is teaching that capitalism is the greatest economic system have to include discussion about the validity of communism? Will someone who is teaching evolution be mandated to allow discussion about creationism?
and NOT be allowed to dismiss someone elses opinion, whether you agree or not.
Sometimes it's good to dismiss other opinions. Will a history teacher discussing 9/11 have to allow a student to submit a project talking about how George Bush "knowingly let 9/11 happen" without giving them a bad grade?
Judging by SB 24, it sure sounds like it.
Who decides what's controversial? Who decides if the proper balance is being met? What's the penalty for non-compliance?
Read through the bill again & see if you can find answers to those questions.
"Will someone who is teaching that capitalism is the greatest economic system have to include discussion about the validity of communism?"
If it's brought up during the discussion. Yes.
"Will someone who is teaching evolution be mandated to allow discussion about creationism?"
It's not a matter of 'mandating' opinion, but ALLOWING alternative opinions, as opposed to what is happening now which is to totally IGNORE dissenting opinion.
" Sometimes it's good to dismiss other opinions. "
So, in other words, if you are opposed to something a liberal teacher says, then it's ok for the teacher to 'dismiss' your opinion as being invalid?
"Will a history teacher discussing 9/11 have to allow a student to submit a project talking about how George Bush "knowingly let 9/11 happen"
Yes!
"without giving them a bad grade?"
If the students 'facts' are inaccurate or provably blatant lies, then the teacher should grade it accordingly.
" Who decides what's controversial?"
It's not a matter of 'who decides what's controversial', but a matter of allowing a discending opinion.
The subject matter, whether controversial or not, should not be a factor.
"Who decides if the proper balance is being met? "
This isn't a matter of finding the 'proper balance', but allowing a differing view.
If there is no indifference to a certain subject then the 'balance' is null.
This bill does nothing more that allowing 'freedom of speech' from both sides of an issue.
Not 'enforcing' one side over the other.
If I say the sky is blue and you say you have 'proof' it is green, then am I allowed to 'dismiss' your opinion, just because I 'know' it's blue?
Or should I allow you to present your 'proof' and allow a debate of both sides?
If it's brought up during the discussion. Yes.
SB 24 goes beyond that which is merely "brought up during the discussion". I thought you read the bill?
It's not a matter of 'mandating' opinion, but ALLOWING alternative opinions, as opposed to what is happening now which is to totally IGNORE dissenting opinion.
Allowing alternative opinions is fine - to a point. But what if those opinions are absolute BS - even if they're based on students' religious or political viewpoints?
Under SB 24, a prof wouldn't be allowed to grade accordingly.
>>>>Sometimes it's good to dismiss other opinions
So, in other words, if you are opposed to something a liberal teacher says, then it's ok for the teacher to 'dismiss' your opinion as being invalid?
No. But if my opinion is absolute bunk that can't be backed up, then I should be graded accordingly. Find me the section in SB 24 that makes that distinction.
If the students 'facts' are inaccurate or provably blatant lies, then the teacher should grade it accordingly.
Yeah - and then get Ohio's "balance" police sicced on them for interfering with poor Johnny's freedom of political beliefs or religious beliefs.
>>>>Who decides what's controversial?
It's not a matter of 'who decides what's controversial', but a matter of allowing a discending opinion
The subject matter, whether controversial or not, should not be a factor.
OK. Let me reframe. Who decides if a dissenting opinion is being given enough time? You? me? The State?
>>>>Who decides if the proper balance is being met?
This isn't a matter of finding the 'proper balance', but allowing a differing view.
Who decides if the differing view - no matter how valid or invalid - is getting proper time?
This bill does nothing more that allowing 'freedom of speech' from both sides of an issue.
The First Amendment doesn't apply to private colleges & universities. But SB 24 would make it otherwise.
Apparently, you want Ashland University (private) to be required to present the leftie side of everything they normally teach. That's freedom?
There should be a list of all leftist colleges and universities that only allow their viewpoint to be taught, so parents could steer their children away from them. On second thought, the easier route would be a list of the institutions one could send students to where they would not be brainwashed.
We do not have to participate in the hate-America left's war against conservative morals and principals, other than the forced contributions we make as taxpayers to keep the state-run indoctrination centers open.
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