2008 Woodie Awards
Force-Feeding Lessons
Nationwide, some college instructors are being accused of abusing academic freedom.
Marc Howard
Issue date: 11/9/05 Section: Opinion
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For years, conservative student groups at American colleges and universities have accused liberal professors of discriminating against students with conservative views. Students say that they have been verbally abused, have had their grades lowered for expressing conservative views and that many professors are consistently presenting politically one-sided lectures.
When Gerald Wilson, a Duke University professor was asked if he had any prejudices, he replied, "Republicans." He was forced to apologize.
A conservative-minded Cal State Long Beach student says that she lost her perfect GPA when her professor gave her paper on Fahrenheit 9/11 a failing grade because she apparently "missed the point of the film."
A dozen states, including California, have considered signing into law an Academic Bill of Rights that would require that all publicly funded colleges and universities to ensure that professors provide a balance of ideas in classes and that students' grades are based solely on their knowledge and performance, and not on their political or religious beliefs.
The legislation was rejected in California this past Spring. However Congress is considering a similar measure contained within the Higher Education Act, which is expected to pass soon.
While legislation like the HEA is purportedly designed to ensure the academic freedom of the student, it undermines that of the college and of the instructor. To allow the government a say in what information is being taught in classrooms would be to compromise the integrity of the classroom, which would be against the educational interests of the student.
Students should have the freedom to express their viewpoints in a classroom setting without fear of the repercussions. But if instructors are targeting students who hold conservative views, it is the responsibility of the college, not the government, to redress such misuses of authority. It is likewise the responsibility of the college to acknowledge the student's right to a quality education that includes discussion on a broad spectrum of ideas.
To pass legislation that would affect the content of class lectures in the name of intellectual independence would be counterproductive; a true paradox. This could be a step toward ultimately hanging college professors from puppet strings manipulated by the fingers of the government.
