Free Republic

It's a fact, documented by two recent studies, that registered Republicans and self-proclaimed conservatives make up only a small minority of professors at elite universities. But what should we conclude from that? Conservatives see it as compelling evidence of liberal bias in university hiring and promotion. And they say that new "academic freedom" laws will simply mitigate the effects of that bias, promoting a diversity of views. But a closer look both at the universities and at the motives of those who would police them suggests a quite different story. Claims that liberal bias keeps conservatives off college faculties almost...

Several instructors targeted by student's posting of red stars, state code on teaching of communism Santa Rosa Junior College's oak-studded campus is aflame with controversy triggered by the anonymous posting of red stars and a reference to communist indoctrination on 10 faculty office doors. Instructors quickly saw the action as a threat to academic freedom, but the student who claimed credit for the protest said it was about left-leaning bias in the lecture hall. The stars, which unnerved some instructors, were accompanied by a copy of a state Education Code section prohibiting the teaching of communism with the "intent to...

Academic Freedom: The Latest Challenge Adapted from “On Academic Freedom,” remarks made by AAUP Associate Secretary, Marcus Harvey, at Irvine Valley College, November 13, 2003. Academic Freedom and Political “Balance” More pernicious than direct at- tempts to curb faculty speech is a subtler initiative intended to trans- form the meaning of academic free- dom, itself. Once denoting the faculty’s authority to determine the content and methods of their pro- fessional work, “academic free- dom” is in the process of being re- invented to connote the “right” of students to be taught by a politi- cally “balanced” faculty. The AAUP has...

College faculties, long assumed to be a liberal bastion, lean further to the left than even the most conspiratorial conservatives might have imagined, a new study says. By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans.

A federal judge has ruled against a former student columnist who claims he was reprimanded and disciplined by his California high school for writing two opinion editorials opposing illegal immigration and affirmative action. A lawsuit filed by former Novato High School student Andrew Smith alleges the district violated his free-speech rights by confiscating copies of his articles and publicly apologizing for them. The case went to trial earlier this month, and in his ruling Marin County Judge John Sutro said he found no evidence Smith's rights were violated. According to Judge Sutro, Smith's articles were equivalent to something from "a...

My last column, "Forget Free Speech, Liberals Don't Tolerate Campus Conservatives," drew the ire and attention of thousands. Published online by GOPUSA and the Washington Times, it sparked still more debate on the issue of liberal bias on campus. Conservative professors from North Carolina, Wisconsin and across the country e-mailed their support. One celebrity endorsement came from former U.S. House Historian Christina Jeffrey, who currently presides over the South Carolina Association of Scholars. In her words, this past column was my "best ever." Still more students, parents and alumni stepped up, sending e-mails and notes, while weighing in on countless...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - More than 70 faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are demanding that administrators stop negotiations with a foundation that wants to create a Western cultures program at the school. Chancellor James Moeser said he believes many faculty members are wary of the proposal simply because of the John William Pope Foundation's conservative values. "It will be a major enhancement of our offerings in Western civilizations," he said Wednesday. "And it won't be done at the expense of any other program." The proposed program would include an academic minor in Western cultures,...

The Bluest State: Academia By Daniel B. Klein and Andrew Western Palo Alto Weekly 02/23/05 The popular vote for President went 48 percent Democrat and 51 percent Republican. This nearly one-to-one national diversity is unlike colleges and universities, where a one-party system prevails. We have conducted a scholarly study of voter registration and find that among Berkeley faculty the Republicans are outnumbered 10 to 1. At Stanford the ratio is 7.6 to 1. Lumping both together gives 9 to 1. Talk about a lack of diversity! If this were a gender, race or ethnic-background study it would be considered almost...

Do you need to vent? Do you need a platform to express your feelings or document your outrage regarding the direction our educational institutions are heading? www.CampusReportOnline.net is the answer and the forum. Send in your well typed 600-700 word article recounting an outrageous event, comment or assignment by a professor or university official to Campus Report Online. There’s a possibility one of your pieces will be published and read by thousands of visitors of the CRO website. This is a great opportunity to gain experience, provide published writing samples to potential employers and become more active and outspoken against...

Good morning students! Welcome to our “senior seminar for college-bound students” at Springfield High School. My name is Dr. Obvious. I taught at ASU (Any State University) for thirty years until my recent retirement. I am pleased to accept a position teaching young students everything they need to know before they attend college. For most of you, that will be some time within the next year. Springfield High designed this course as a way of preparing next year’s freshmen to function in college. I have decided to take a slightly different approach. I intend to teach you things you will...

I was to be on a panel discussion at the AAAS annual meeting in Washington DC. I mis-remembered the time, though, thinking the event was at 11 A.M., when in fact it was at noon, so I had an hour to kill. Wandering around the conference center idly, looking for something interesting, I came across a meeting hall with an easel outside saying GENDER AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE. Thinking this might be right up my street, I peered inside. About 30 people were listening to a woman lecturer. The people had their backs to me and were clustered...

Ex-professor at Clark rips ‘gender police’ "We’re dealing now with a religion of hard-line feminism While the president of Harvard University continues to engage in marathon mea culpas, Christina Hoff Sommers said she’s not surprised that the poor guy has been pilloried for committing a cardinal sin in academia: suggesting that men and women might indeed be different. “If you even hint that there’s a biological difference between the sexes — which most scientists agree there is — a small coterie of hard-line gender police will get very excited and start shrieking,” Ms. Sommers maintained. “They insist that any suggestion...

My mother is a teacher and has started working on her Masters Degree. One of her courses is on Family Therapy and she has to plot out her extended family as part of the course work. "Family Themes" was one of things she needed to write down so she asked me for ideas about some of our family themes. I started to look through her textbook to get a better idea of exactly what they wanted. Here is just some of what I found: The Expanded Family Life Cycle Individual, Family, and Social Perspectives Third Edition Edited by Betty Carter...

Regardless of age, we have all heard the phrase, "First Amendment Rights," bandied about. Free speech has been the rallying cry of the liberal elite since the 60s, and every time violent protesters are beaten back by police or cordoned off from a rally, the ACLU comes a calling. However, the same team of trial lawyers, rebel billionaires and Deaniacs turn a blind eye toward the abuses of their academic brethren. America's colleges and universities are anything but free speech zones. Contrary to their mantra of universal tolerance, Stalinist professors and administrators see intellectual diversity as a disease. Unpopular...

Once again it falls to a lowly columnist to explain something that has apparently flown over the heads of almost everyone else in this university town. I am speaking of course of State Senate Bill 24, or, rather, what is being called the "Academic Bill of Rights." The Academic Bill of Rights was first submitted to educators by David Horowitz, a noted author and conservative political advocate who wrote the proposal, and only when it was stonewalled by universities did Horowitz submit it to legislatures. The bill was introduced to ensure the freedom of ideas and expression in a profession...

Despite the nation's youth (under the guidance of Nickelodeon, MTV, and Hollywood brats) exhibiting all the narcissistic, consumer-driven attributes liberals practice and yet claim to despise, direct indoctrination on the university level is now starting to have real world consequences. The "by any means necessary" approach now sanctioned by "progressives" is producing young footsoldiers that perform according to their immediate feelings rather than utilizing logical thought to arrive at conclusions.

School targets lesson 'biases': Principal says he wants balanced talk on the issues By Carolyn Kessel Stewart / Daily News Staff Thursday, February 17, 2005 HUDSON -- After a legal defense team took an interest in the new student Conservative Club's claims of censorship, Hudson High School is now investigating some teaching practices for potential biases and inconsistencies. However, the school will not budge on allowing students to advertise a controversial conservative Web site, said Principal John Stapelfeld. English and social studies teachers have been asked to make sure all sides of an issue are represented in materials and teaching,...

n the 19th century, "gay" described people or times of high spirits -- the Gay '90s -- or colorful clothing or decor. By the last quarter of the 20th, Fred Flintstone's "gay old time" took on a new meaning as gay became a euphemism for homosexual, just as "choice" replaced "abortion" and "revenue enhancement" was substituted for "tax increase." But in the 21st century, gay has become synonymous with silly or lame, especially among teens and young adults. Rarely a day goes by without them remarking how "gay" a friend, relative or acquaintance is. This usage has nothing to do...

States Considering Legislation to Counter Perceived Liberalism on College CampusesBy Elizabeth DeForest Associated Press Writer 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...

Mass. School District Pushes Political Correctness in Math Class by Josh Montez, correspondent SUMMARY: Why would any school district force political correctness down the throats of students in math class? Let's hope it's not a trend. The Newton, Mass., public school district is pushing a divisive, politically correct agenda -- in math classes. Brian Camenker, the director of the Parents Rights Coalition in Newton, is not at all pleased. "The way these people play with the kids' minds is really horrible," said Camenker, whose two children were educated in Newton public schools in the Bay State. He's especially not happy...