Prof-speech bill spurs faculty response 2005-02-10 By Bridget Whelan Athens NEWS Campus ReporterSupporters say legislation in the Ohio Senate prohibiting public university professors from addressing controversial topics in class would protect the academic integrity of students. Some Ohio University professors and students, however, worry that the law threatens First Amendment rights.Senate bill 24, which has been dubbed "an academic bill of rights," contains nine articles that would purportedly promote academic freedom and prevent university instructors from skewing course material. Some OU faculty, however, believe that the bill would limit academic freedom by legislating classroom discussion.[...]The section of the bill that concerns most professors states: "Faculty and instructors shall not infringe the academic freedom and quality of education of their students by persistently introducing controversial matter into the classroom or coursework that has no relation to their subject of study and that serves no legitimate pedagogical purpose."[...]The state senator who introduced S.B. 24, Larry A. Mumper, argued in a Jan. 27 Columbus Dispatch article that many professors undermine their students' values because "80 percent or so of them (professors) are Democrats, liberals or socialists or card-carrying Communists..." who are attempting to brainwash students.In the Dispatch article, Mumper, R-Marion, added, "These are young minds that haven't had a chance to form their own opinions. Our colleges and universities are still filled with some of the '60s and '70s profs that were the anti-American group."
Supporters say legislation in the Ohio Senate prohibiting public university professors from addressing controversial topics in class would protect the academic integrity of students. Some Ohio University professors and students, however, worry that the law threatens First Amendment rights.
Senate bill 24, which has been dubbed "an academic bill of rights," contains nine articles that would purportedly promote academic freedom and prevent university instructors from skewing course material. Some OU faculty, however, believe that the bill would limit academic freedom by legislating classroom discussion.
[...]
The section of the bill that concerns most professors states: "Faculty and instructors shall not infringe the academic freedom and quality of education of their students by persistently introducing controversial matter into the classroom or coursework that has no relation to their subject of study and that serves no legitimate pedagogical purpose."
The state senator who introduced S.B. 24, Larry A. Mumper, argued in a Jan. 27 Columbus Dispatch article that many professors undermine their students' values because "80 percent or so of them (professors) are Democrats, liberals or socialists or card-carrying Communists..." who are attempting to brainwash students.
In the Dispatch article, Mumper, R-Marion, added, "These are young minds that haven't had a chance to form their own opinions. Our colleges and universities are still filled with some of the '60s and '70s profs that were the anti-American group."
― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Friday, 11 February 2005 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)
― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Friday, 11 February 2005 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)
Lawmakers, worried profs push liberalism, want diverse views requiredWESTERVILLE, Ohio - 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.[...]"I see students coming out having gone in without any ideological leanings one way or another, coming out with an indoctrination of a lot of left-wing issues," said bill sponsor Sen. Larry Mumper, a former high school teacher whose Republican party controls the legislature.The proposal in Ohio to create an academic "bill of rights" would prohibit public and private college professors from presenting opinions as fact or penalizing students for expressing their views. Professors would not be allowed to introduce controversial material unrelated to the course.Professors dismissed the bill as unnecessary and questioned who would determine what was controversial or course-related and whether conservative supporters had ulterior motives, such as wanting more conservative professors to be hired.Similar legislation failed in California and Colorado last year, and the Georgia Senate passed a resolution, less binding than a bill, that suggests rather than commands adoption. The California bill, which would affect only public schools, has been reintroduced and faces opposition from professors and student groups. An Indiana bill is nearly identical to Ohio's.[...]The Ohio legislation is based on principles advocated by Students for Academic Freedom, a Washington, D.C.-based student network founded by conservative activist David Horowitz."It doesn't matter a professor's viewpoint," Horowitz said in an interview. "They can be a good professor, liberal or conservative, provided they pursue an educational mission and not a political agenda."Mumper said he is concerned universities are not teaching the values held by taxpaying parents and students.He questioned why lawmakers should approve funding for universities with "professors who would send some students out in the world to vote against the very public policy that their parents have elected us for."...
WESTERVILLE, Ohio - 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.
"I see students coming out having gone in without any ideological leanings one way or another, coming out with an indoctrination of a lot of left-wing issues," said bill sponsor Sen. Larry Mumper, a former high school teacher whose Republican party controls the legislature.
The proposal in Ohio to create an academic "bill of rights" would prohibit public and private college professors from presenting opinions as fact or penalizing students for expressing their views. Professors would not be allowed to introduce controversial material unrelated to the course.
Professors dismissed the bill as unnecessary and questioned who would determine what was controversial or course-related and whether conservative supporters had ulterior motives, such as wanting more conservative professors to be hired.
Similar legislation failed in California and Colorado last year, and the Georgia Senate passed a resolution, less binding than a bill, that suggests rather than commands adoption. The California bill, which would affect only public schools, has been reintroduced and faces opposition from professors and student groups. An Indiana bill is nearly identical to Ohio's.
The Ohio legislation is based on principles advocated by Students for Academic Freedom, a Washington, D.C.-based student network founded by conservative activist David Horowitz.
"It doesn't matter a professor's viewpoint," Horowitz said in an interview. "They can be a good professor, liberal or conservative, provided they pursue an educational mission and not a political agenda."
Mumper said he is concerned universities are not teaching the values held by taxpaying parents and students.
He questioned why lawmakers should approve funding for universities with "professors who would send some students out in the world to vote against the very public policy that their parents have elected us for."...
so THAT's where Horowitz has been!
― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Friday, 11 February 2005 03:55 (twenty-one years ago)
― Kingfish MuffMiner 2049er (Kingfish), Friday, 11 February 2005 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)
― C0l1N B--KETT, Friday, 11 February 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― Paul Kelly (kelly), Friday, 11 February 2005 05:18 (twenty-one years ago)
I love this: College sophomore Charis Bridgman tends to keep quiet in class if she thinks her professor might disagree with her Christian-influenced ideas.
Good! More like her please.
No, OK, I don't really mean people with "Christian-influenced ideas" (and wouldn't it be nice if the media occasionally spelt out wtf it means by that -- does she believe rich people will have trouble getting into heaven?) should shut up. But given how many of them we have clogging the AM/FM and cable and Congress with their greedhead death-cult God-loves-me-but-hates-fags apocalypse-cheerleading Dark Ages boogeyman stories, if one or two of them are goddamn scardeypants to voice an opinion to somebody who, omg, might not agree with them...shit, I don't think that's any loss to the public discourse.
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 11 February 2005 06:38 (twenty-one years ago)
― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 11 February 2005 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 11 February 2005 07:10 (twenty-one years ago)
― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 11 February 2005 07:27 (twenty-one years ago)
― polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 11 February 2005 07:34 (twenty-one years ago)
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 11 February 2005 07:57 (twenty-one years ago)
this is the greeting i shall use from now on!
― mark s (mark s), Friday, 11 February 2005 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)
Harold Bloom, yesterday
― Miles Finch, Friday, 11 February 2005 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)
Best paragraph in the history of ILX
― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 11 February 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)
-- Roger Fidelity (blindjimdeat...), February 11th, 2005.
what do you have against darth vader and james earl jones?
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 11 February 2005 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)
― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Friday, 11 February 2005 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)
― J (Jay), Friday, 11 February 2005 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)
― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Friday, 11 February 2005 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 11 February 2005 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)
― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Friday, 11 February 2005 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)
― leo, Friday, 11 February 2005 22:52 (twenty-one years ago)
― leo, Friday, 11 February 2005 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)
― raul, Sunday, 13 February 2005 02:32 (twenty-one years ago)
Note how the "attempting to brainwash students" bit is outside the senator's quote. Liberal journalists are brainwashing students into believing they are being brainwashed.
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Sunday, 13 February 2005 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)
― Tom Paine, Sunday, 13 February 2005 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)
― Roy Cohn, Sunday, 13 February 2005 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)
― Tom Paine, Sunday, 13 February 2005 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)
this is basically an attempt to neuter critical thinking skills. if you are never prompted to examine your beliefs, whether left or right, at an academic university, what's the fucking point of even going? reducing univerity to a left-right pissing match is dangerously anti-intellectual. fuck this guy.
― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 13 February 2005 07:50 (twenty-one years ago)
http://home.christianity.com/topics/bible_study/otlaw/106150.html
(about 6 minutes in)
"Capitalism feeds the poor, and socialism does not."
― Fish fingers all in a line (kenan), Sunday, 13 February 2005 08:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― J (Jay), Sunday, 13 February 2005 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)
― Maria (Maria), Monday, 14 February 2005 01:07 (twenty-one years ago)
― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 14 February 2005 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)
― derrick (derrick), Monday, 14 February 2005 07:00 (twenty-one years ago)
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 14 February 2005 07:18 (twenty-one years ago)
― derrick (derrick), Monday, 14 February 2005 08:06 (twenty-one years ago)
― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 14 February 2005 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)