BCT Editorial – 12/21/06

This page was last updated on December 21, 2006.

Good policy; Editorial; Beaver County Times; December 21, 2006.

A previous editorial on this topic was “It’s academic.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“House committee on bias in higher education makes reasonable recommendations”

[RWC] It must have been a slow week. The committee made these recommendations a month ago.

“Bias often is in the eye of the beholder.”

[RWC] For example, when a Times editorial refers to someone as a “centrist” or “moderate,” that really means someone with a 95% liberal rating from Americans for Democratic Action.

“Such is the case of political bias at Pennsylvania’s public colleges and universities.

“This question was raised last year in the context of a national debate that was fueled by allegations that liberal professors are infringing on conservative students’ right to free speech at taxpayer-funded schools. The Associated Press reported conservatives, including writer-activist David Horowitz, have demanded an ‘academic bill of rights.’

“To address the matter, the state House created the bipartisan Select Committee on Academic Freedom in Higher Education. The panel gathered testimony at four public hearings across the state between September 2005 and June.

“Its conclusion was that the so-called controversy was pretty much a tempest in a teapot as far as Pennsylvania’s public colleges and universities were concerned. The committee therefore concluded that a statewide policy governing college students’ academic freedom is unnecessary because political bias is rare.

“To its great credit, the committee didn’t stop there. It recognized the potential for danger and abuse and recommended that schools review their academic freedom policies, that they ensure students are aware of policies and grievance procedures, and that they provide an alternative for students who are reluctant to complain directly to a professor, according to The AP.

“Kenn Marshall, spokesman for Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education, told The AP the recommendations are reasonable and a bit redundant.

“‘For the most part, our universities already have in place policies to ensure that students’ rights are protected,’ Marshall said. ‘It just reinforces what we’re already doing.’”

[RWC] Seriously, what else would you expect the “spokesman for Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education” to say?

“Do some professors show their bias in the classroom? Sure. However, it’s not the problem that some on the right made it out to be. The committee’s recommendations should go far in preserving academic freedom while giving students a venue in which to air their complaints.”

[RWC] Back in January 2006 when it was still possible – though unlikely – PA might adopt a so-called academic bill of rights, a Times editorial said, “The academic bill of rights movement is as silly as the ridiculous speech codes that many schools have adopted - and should repeal.”

Now that there’s no “danger” of an academic bill of rights, there’s also no mention of speech codes or a call by the Times to repeal them.

An honest oversight? You decide.

In conclusion, though I believe the evidence of bias is clear, I too oppose so-called academic bills of rights. Why? I’d rather have liberals popping off where we can see them instead of forcing them “to fly below the radar.” For the record, whether liberal or conservative, I believe it’s inappropriate for a teacher to inject his personal biases into classes when that’s not a requirement of the specific class.