By Gabriella Hoffman
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
The American university was once regarded as the
marketplace of ideas. Young, eager minds thirsty for knowledge pursued higher
education to better prepare for life. The free exchange of ideas and different
perspectives largely defined the academic scene in decades prior. This reputed
intuition stood out from the rest as the cultivator of future leaders,
innovators, and scholars.
Alas, this is not the case today.
The late conservative thinker William F. Buckley famously
opined, “The academic community has in it the biggest concentration of
alarmists, cranks and extremists this side of the giggle house.”
The American university has departed from its original
purpose. Instead, this institution now serves as a breeding ground for
complacent, goose-stepping loyalists of the political Left.
Most academic departments are favorable to leftist points
of view. The majority of professors identify as Democrat or socialist; some
even identify as Marxist or communist. In fact, an April 29 Rasmussen poll
found that 40 percent of those polled believe college professors oppose
American values. 25 percent of those polled believe college professors share
U.S. values, while 34 percent of those polled are unsure.
The campus climate is equally hostile to conservative and
libertarian students. When one openly professes right-leaning views they are
ridiculed, harassed, or made to feel uncomfortable on campus. Professors
reserve lecture time to proselytize against free markets, limited government,
and traditional values. So-called sustainable initiatives, diversity
“enrichment,” and the prevalence of gender neutral bathrooms, for example,
confirm the radical nature American universities have come to adopt.
Despite dominant leftist views on campus, conservative
students should not feel discouraged or hopeless. Instead, they should fight
back by holding their professors accountable for their actions. If professors
repeatedly step out of line or dedicate lecture time to deride conservatives,
students should record them and expose their bias.
College students can put unruly professors in their place
with the right tools and resources.
Last fall, Tyler Talgo--a University of Southern
California student--recorded political
science Professor Darry A. Sragow on film calling on his students to
disenfranchise Republican votes.
“Republicans are trying to prevent people of color and
people of lower income from voting by requiring voter I.D.” Sragow said.
Shortly after the video of Sragow dropped, Talgo appeared
on Fox News and The View to encourage fellow college students to hold their
professors accountable for what they say in the classroom.
Another instance of college students holding their
professors accountable is the recent firing of a Brevard Community College
(BCC) professor. The professor--Sharon Sweet--was fired after requiring
students to pledge their votes for President Barack Obama leading up to the
2012 election. Sweet’s pay and benefits were suspended following an
investigation into her questionable activities.
Campus Reform reported, “The termination took effect
immediately, ending pay and benefits for Sweet who had been suspended with pay
under provisions of the United Faculty of Florida collective bargaining
agreement with the college, pending the board’s decision.”
These instances of leftist abuse on campus are not
isolated. In fact, they are common. Whether it is the University of California
or the Ivy League, most American universities encourage and tolerate leftist
bias. Leftist professors will continue to go unnoticed unless students bring
their bias into light.
Time at an American university should be enjoyable, not
tainted by leftist indoctrination. As a result, it is imperative to reclaim
American universities and encourage dissenting viewpoints.
If students want to expose leftist abuses on campus, they
can contact their Regional Field Coordinator or send tips to Campus Reform.
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