Film shows differing opinions
USU College Republicans took a swing at American universities by showing the documentary “Indoctrinate U,” Tuesday. The film argues that universities are suppressing freedom of speech and idea diversity.
“This was a good video to have students realize that they are going to feel offended and have to deal with tough issues,” said Terry Camp, chairman of the USU College Republicans. “A lot of students don’t even realize that this is happening because they are just sheep in the herd that form their ideas on whatever their professors are teaching them. This was to open their eyes a little bit.”
The film covered an array of topics from racial issues to the lack of political diversity among university faculty. The film also issued pointed accusations toward American universities, saying that the left had a “monopoly” on ideas taught at universities, free speech is suppressed and that some universities are “cozying up with terrorists.”
Camp said he believes the film portrayed an accurate picture of academia in America. Although he doesn’t believe the problem is as bad at USU, he said there is significantly less liberal bias on campus.
“A few weeks ago for Halloween we set up an ‘Obama graveyard’ to point out the death of capitalism,” Terry said. “I dressed up like the Grim Reaper and I got called all sorts of names like bigot and racist. A lot of people think that just because Utah is a red state that we don’t have any opposition. I don’t agree with that statement.”
Highlighting the lack of appreciation for different ideas, Camp said a friend of his who attends USU wrote a paper arguing against the existence of global warming. When she turned it in, the professor wouldn’t accept it and made her rewrite the paper, this time arguing that global warming did exist. The teacher then marked the student down a full letter grade because she had to re-write it.
“If more issues like this arise,” he said, “we will definitely protest or send students to talk to the professors about their grading policy.”
Camp said the issue has become a self-perpetuating cycle in which like-minded faculty continue to hire those with similar political views.
“I can’t really say what percentage of professors push politics on their students,” Camp said, “but I do know that students are always going to feel pressured to have the view that their professors have. That’s why the title of the movie was ‘Indoctrinate U.’ They’re trying to indoctrinate and they want students to have the same view as them.”
University professors, however, take issue with this perspective. William Furlong, professor of political science and Latin American Studies, said accusations stating that there is a liberal agenda in academia is “offensive.”
“A few years ago they did a study that showed most people with advanced degrees became more liberal, with the exception of engineers and accountants,” Furlong said. “Maybe that’s because they learned what the world’s really like and opened their mind to other ideas.”
urlong said whether or not a professor checks his or her political bias at the classroom door largely depends on the department they teach in. He pointed out that English and sociology tend to be liberal subjects, whereas accounting and business tend to have conservative instructors.
The political science departments have “the strongest mixes in the whole country,” Furlong said.
“Students who get a liberal education – liberal with a small ‘l’ – will get exposed to ideas from the middle, the left, the right, if they choose their teachers carefully,” Furlong said.
One of the issues discussed during the film was the ratio of democrat to republican professors. The film claims that the ratio in the average university is approximately 8:1, respectively. Damon Cann, political science professor, said democrats seem to be over-represented in universities.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a liberal agenda at stake in higher education though,” Cann said. “I don’t think that there’s some secret shadowy force that is making sure that only liberal professors are hired. At Utah State, in particular, we have a better balance than most universities.”
Cann said he thought pressure students feel to regurgitate their teachers’ opinions in coursework is largely an irrational one.
“I have more respect for someone that can marshal good evidence behind an argument or can make a strong case for an argument, than I have for someone who can simply repeat something I said in the classroom,” he said. “I’ve given perfect scores to people who come up with an answer that may be one I disagree with personally, but argue it well.”
Cann said many U.S. views concerning university professors are inaccurate.
“Sarah Palin recently came out saying that university professors are all God-hating atheists,” he said,” but a friend showed me a survey that suggested that a majority of university professors, profess some sort of belief in a God or adhere to some set of spiritual beliefs. That doesn’t necessarily map perfectly onto the liberal-conservative dimension, but it does suggest that a lot of stereotypes about professors are incorrect.”
Cann, a self-proclaimed Republican, said at the end of his first semester teaching at USU, he got several teaching evaluations accusing him of being a “raging liberal” that “cannot cover his personal views.”
– mike.burnham@gmail.com