A new study has been released which could possibly highlight more of a need for the Academic Bill of Rights on college campuses, including Saint Louis University.
The study, covered by Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post paints the academic world as a citadel of liberal ideology.
According to the study, performed by political science professors Robert Lichter of George Mason University, Stanley Rothman of Smith College and Neil Nevitte of the University of Toronto, 72 percent of college professors label themselves as liberal, while only 15 percent call themselves conservative. The study was run in the March issue of the online political science journal, the Forum, and was funded by the Randolph Foundation, a right-leaning interest group.
"The most likely conclusion [is that] being conservative counts against you," Rothman said. "It doesn't surprise me, because I've observed it happening."
It should be noted, however, that the study has been labeled "preliminary."
The study has been refuted by Russell Jacoby in the April 4 issue of "The Nation."
"The most publicized investigations amateurishly correlate faculty departmental directories with local voter registration lists to show a heavy preponderance of Democrats," Jacoby said. "What this demonstrates about campus life and politics is unclear. Yet these findings are endlessly cited and cross-referenced as if by now they confirm a tiresome truth: leftist domination of the universities."
Jonathan Knight, director of academic freedom and tenure for the American Association of University Professors, also has doubts about the veracity of the study.
"The question is how this translates into what happens within the academic community on such issues as curriculum, admission of students, evaluation of students, evaluation of faculty for salary and promotion," he said. Knight added that he saw no hard evidence of political viewpoints impacting campus policies, which contradicts Rothman.
However, a trend has been forming which reinforces the study. Recent comments by Ward Churchill, Ph.D., in which he compared victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to Nazis, has caused the University of Colorado to review their tenure system. At Harvard, the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences gave a vote of no confidence in University President Lawrence Summers, after he made comments alleging that women did not have the same ability as men in science and math.
The study gives more credence to the belief of many conservatives that there is a need for an Academic Bill of Rights. The bill, originally authored by David Horowitz, president of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, has been adopted by Occidental College, Utah State University and Wichita State University. Currently, legislation has been introduced in Colorado that would require colleges to develop and publicize the process for students who have complaints, and legislation has been drawn up in Congress.
"The university should not be a political place," Horowitz said. "It's a place where there ought to be reasoned discourse."
The Academic Bill of Rights would require colleges to present a diversity of viewpoints in texts and prevent the singling out of students because of their political beliefs, religious beliefs from having an effect on grading, recruiting for demonstrations and mocking students or political leaders whose views differ from the professor's.
While Horowitz has said that he was very careful to make the bill neutral, many detractors have alleged that the bill opens the door for conservative activists to push their agenda under the guise of "intellectual diversity."
Spokesman for the University of Colorado system Robert Nero said that the legislation is unnecessary because it would be "demoralizing to the faculty." Colorado administrators believe that it will be harder to draw new faculty to the system because scholars will be reticent to become involved if they feel that lawmakers are determining university curriculum.
Horowitz, however, stressed the need for the bill, because students are persecuted for their beliefs on a daily basis.
"When a university requires a single partisan text of all its students, it is a form of indoctrination, entirely inappropriate for an academic institution," he said.
SLU Student Government Association Commuter Senator Jack Smedile and Arts and Sciences Senator Will Dreiling have introduced a version of the Academic Bill of Rights for SLU. The resolution has been tabled until next year, but Smedile and Dreiling would like to see it addressed.
"Although SLU is not a university where academic freedom is in jeopardy, the bill would give people an outlet to complain about professors and ensure that academic freedom is advocated in every department," Dreiling said.
Smedile said, "[The bill] reaffirms exactly what should happen already. The discussion is worth it, regardless if the bill passes. I can speak and not have to worry about being shouted down."
