LAT: Lawmaker Says Leftists Hold Sway at Colo. Campuses

[DeepModem Mom]

Worried that left-wing professors are using college classrooms to bully those who don't toe the liberal line, a Colorado politician says it may be time to pass a law protecting students who hold more conservative or religious views.

Republican state Sen. John Andrews, Senate president, recently sent a letter to Colorado's 31 public colleges and universities, asking them to explain how they handle cases of ideological discrimination and how they promote diverse points of view. Their answers are due back by Monday. If he's unhappy with what he hears, Andrews vowed, he'll sponsor legislation to "ensure academic freedom."


Students have complained of being forced to attend abortion rights rallies, of being required to write essays critical of the Bush administration and of having a strident antireligion agenda pushed on them. Some who protested said they received poor grades or were asked to leave class.


Andrews, who represents the Denver suburb of Centennial, said liberals began taking over America's colleges in the 1960s and are now the dominant force on campus. He decided a few months ago to take on the issue, but first consulted well-known leftist-turned-rightist David Horowitz, founder of Students for Academic Freedom, a group pushing for more conservative viewpoints on campus.


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-bias28nov28,1,5276296.story?coll=la-home-politics

[politicat]

1. Andrews.... andrews is one of our darling AFA sponsored Freeper schills.

:puke:

He's so full of ..... he squeaks going into a turn. :eyes: I promise, we will fight this because the state has no right to legislate academic freedom. And if we lose, well.... it will be the state edu system that suffers. WE can go elsewhere.

I'm part time (as a researcher, not faculty) on CU Boulder, the most liberal of all of the campuses in the state. I've never seen anyone *forced* to go to anything against their will. However, there are professors, especially those in the legal, social work, sociology, womens' studies, etc. departments that make extra-class room activities - like observing X or reading Y - part of the grade. If they choose not to go, then yes, their grades suffer... just like if they choose not to turn in assignments. I've also seen students asked to attend religious services of several different faiths for comparative religions - is this religious indoctrination? No. It's a learning experience. (And I'm atheist....)

College is supposed to be about broadening your horizons, not just reconfirming the prejudices you've been handed as received knowledge. Thus, the professors do require students to go to some event out of their comfort zone and observe. NOT participate. See what the other side is saying.

Anti-Bush rhetoric.... probably were asked to write essays on public policy and what mistakes are being made here. Of course freepers are going to go nuts on this....

CU Boulder is the most tolerant of schools, even of freepers and that hurts us. They think they can get away with their crap and whine to the senate when they don't want to work. (Most freeperspawn are rich, white kids here from out of state on Mummy and Daddums' money for the skiing and the easy, party school, driving around in the big SUV they got for graduation because it's cold and snowy here.... grrrr....while local kids with talent and grades but not the funds don't get in because we can't pay for them to go to the land grant, state taxpayer funded school.)

Personally, if it was my student and s/he said, No, I'm not going to X, I would ask shim to drop or give shim a lowered grade. But I'd do it with a pro-choicer who wouldn't got to a pro-life rally, too. But this is why I don't TA or teach. I won't coddle the little shits.

This isn't a little world of "My way is the right way" and it's sure as hell not a "My guy, right or wrong" world either.

Politicat (who truly believes that most 18 year olds are too young for college and too immature to appreciate what an opportunity they have.)

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Hmmmm...

it's tough to get a real handle on just what's going on in this sort of thing. I keep hearing horror stories from all sides about how our universities are going to hell in a handbsket due to either liberal or conservative ideologies. Methinks our universities may have problems, but it's not because of ideologies.

I suspect you're right that a lot of things are being blown out of proportion, and some wingnut is enjoying a taste of power, not rallying against a real problem.

The problem may be that ideologies have always held sway amongst some faculty members in all colleges, but now wingnuts on all sides have found effective ways to silence them. It's not ideology, it's anti-ideology that is the danger.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I thought

that most college campuses allowed freedom of thought. I was at the University of Illinois in the late 60s-early 70s, and I don't recall any prof putting down right wingers. I do recall some profs not honoring the moritorium, but most of the others did. Most of my profs were liberal, but none required anyone to go to rallies, etc. I'm wondering if this is really the case now, or if it is just some people saying so.

[jarab]

4. If he's arguing for the return

of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in ALL areas of politics ... I'm all for it.
...O...