Originally published April 7, 2005
When Colleen Cox, FCLC '07, made the choice to attend Fordham, she says she did so to "find a truly open-minded institution," rather than an Ivy League school or a "right-wing Christian college." She chose in favor of a school she thought would have "a variety of ideas in [its] academic and social life."
Now, Cox, a political conservative who voted for Bush, finds herself in a distinct minority where she often feels "uncomfortable" openly sharing her thoughts in many Lincoln Center classrooms.
To Cox, Fordham seems to have a faculty that is disproportionately liberal, a phenomenon which is the case nationwide, according to a recent survey by The Forum, an online political science journal, that suggests as many as 72 percent of college faculty are left-of-center, and which has raised concern at other institutions across the country.
Casey Farrell, FCLC '05, also politically conservative, encountered a strong bias in a history course. She recalls the professor who "wouldn't let up about Bush," and made comments in which the "Red States" were identified as a separate nation called "Jesusland" and should go off with President George W. Bush, who is "out of touch with the real world."
Citing similar situations that occur largely in political science and history classrooms, many students with conservative viewpoints often feel outnumbered and intimidated in FCLC's more liberal climate.
No actual figures exist to demonstrate the political alignments of Lincoln Center faculty, however according to a list of political contributions posted on the Cardinal Newman Society's Web site, faculty gave $19.460 to the Democrats and $4,000 to the Republicans in 2004.
"I feel that defending myself personally against 20 students and one professor is a challenge I did not feel I should have to take up in order to share my thoughts like the rest of the class," Cox said of one classroom discussion dominated by liberal viewpoints.
Farrell shares Cox's hesitance to speak up. "I have felt very uncomfortable a number of times not only expressing myself, but just being in a classroom where the professor is liberal and constantly makes comments regarding politics when it is not relevant to the course," Farrell said.
"I think that in a classroom a professor should bring up their political views [only] if it is absolutely necessary and part of the course," she continued.
Alison Castaneda, FCLC '07, a member of Fordham's Young Republicans, said that even professors in Modern Languages have made political statements in the classroom. She recalled an instance when her professor "started preaching" and told the class that "if [they] voted for Bush, [they] would be drafted."
Aristotle Papanikolaou, assistant professor of theology and the College Council member who initiated the discussion at the March 10 meeting, agrees that all classrooms should be open forums for well-thought-out points of view. "It's somewhat implied in the academic setting that freedom of expression should be fostered," he explained, "and it's also implied that the classroom is a place for critical thinking-that the purpose of education is to explore various points of view and develop the skills to arrive at a reasonable conclusion."
The Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC, added that more recently the problem has not been as pronounced as it was when he first brought the topic to the Council when the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003. "I don't think this is a widespread problem," he said. "In my eight years as dean, I have only twice spoken to professors because something was reported to me and I felt duty-bound to ask them whether or not [the accusations] were true."
Grimes recalled one incident in which a rather outspoken student raised his hand in class and the professor remarked, "Now, now, no one wants to hear what you have to say."
"People get into agreement pretty quickly that that's not proper," Grimes remarked.
But what is proper classroom conduct?
According to Grimes, professors should run each "classroom in such a way that everyone in that classroom feels that they have been given equal time and that they can feel comfortable expressing an intelligent viewpoint.
"I'm not talking about somebody who's just running off [his or her] mouth in an ideological rant-whether it's a student or a faculty member-but anyone who wants to express an intelligent and well thought out point of view that's pertinent to the subject matter," Grimes continued.
Papanikolaou said that he has heard from students, largely in the fall semester, that they have a "sense that the general climate within the university itself is liberal...and there were specific classes where they felt some kind of bias and thus were intimidated to present a conservative view."
He added that professors need to recognize their position in the classroom. "Professors need to be aware of their power, that they're perceived to be people who know more, that students are aware of that, and, as a result, may be intimidated to challenge professor," he said.
Grimes, who considers the larger issue at hand to be one of pedagogy and intellectual freedom-not politics-also cautions that professors need to be cognizant of the classroom environment. "Professors need to focus on making students feel that they are part of a class-of an intellectual community"
Some students, however, are insecure challenging their professors.
Castaneda said she has felt silenced in several classrooms. "Nothing stifles a debate or discussion more than having the professor definitively state their views-who's going to argue with the old guy with the doctorate?"
Susan Beck, associate professor of political science, feels that a professor's knowledge is not grounds to silence un-like-minded students. "Students cannot feel intimidated simply because a professor has a wider knowledge base," she said.
Beck added that in her experience students might feel intimidated by a professor's presentation of ideas because the students cannot separate the facts of an argument from their opinions. "When that is pointed out," she explained, "it is not an assault on a point of view. In my American Presidency class this was a problem on both sides and grades suffered on both sides because of it."
Cox recalled an experience in which she felt "the burden of proof was placed" more on one group than another by the professor. "For example," she said, "a student could make the statement that the Election of 2000 was a farce and Bush is an illegitimate president, and it could slide without being commented upon by the professor or other students."
Several students, Castenda included, feel that professors should try harder to check their politics at the door to ensure that a classroom remains balanced and fair. "I am absolutely convinced that professors should be positively apolitical," she said.
Farrell agrees. "I do not think it is professional for a professor to make their political views known," she said. "There is a need to have professors keep their political views-liberal or conservative-to themselves. Outside of class they can do or think whatever they want."
Elizabeth Stone, professor of English and communication and media studies, says that's easier said than done. "Keeping one's views invisible is not the easiest thing to do, especially for those of us teaching subjects such as journalism or political science or contemporary history during a polarizing presidential election," Stone said, adding that "In truth, I bend over backwards to make sure that students whose viewpoint is different from mine are not penalized."
Beck says she tries to not let her own personal politics affect her classes. "It's not appropriate to say 'vote for so-and-so,'' she explained, "but it is nearly impossible to cut [your views] off at the classroom door.
"I try very hard not to impose my views," Beck added. "I try to make all students feel welcome in the classroom, but I'm not sure what the magic formula is for that."
While Grimes says that even though every professor will have a different stance on making his or her opinions explicit in the classroom, he "would always defend the right of a professor to express [his or her] opinion."
The current situation at FCLC is not unusual, as many liberal arts colleges and universities across the country have been dealing with similar, and sometimes more severe, instances of bias negatively affecting students.
Most locally, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University has come under scrutiny after reports surfaced that he made anti-Israeli comments to a pro-Israeli student and asked him how many Palestinians he had killed.
In a statement made before the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger said that the situation should serve as a reminder of what the academy is about. "We should not say that academic freedom means that there is no review within the university, no accountability, for the content of our classes or our leadership.
"The question is not whether a professor advocates a view, but whether the overall design of the class, and course, is to explore the full range of the complexity of the subject," he continued.
Grievances at other colleges and universities have spurred organizations like Students for Academic Freedom, a group that advocates the adoption of "The Academic Bill of Rights," to form. [see sidebar for more details]
Papanikolaou, who identifies his own politics as being "left-of-center," said that he is not bringing attention to this situation to push a political agenda, but to raise consciousness in the college before the problem escalates.
"Bringing attention to it counts," Papanikolaou said. "I believe that most of the faculty, if aware of the concerns of conservative students, would want to be sensitive to this issue."
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