Conservative activist David Horowitz says his Academic Bill of Rights could be the solution to the problem of political bias on college campuses around the country.
Horowitz wrote the Academic Bill of Rights because he believes many college conservatives are blacklisted and punished when they express their political views. The document, which Horowitz is lobbying state legislatures to adopt, seeks to guarantee academic and intellectual freedom for both students and professors by forcing universities to abide by certain guidelines.
According to Weinberg senior Ben Kohlmann, president of College Republicans, this problem exists at NU, too. Conservatives here are “surprised and alarmed by the indignant intolerance of the Left for refusing to even respect their policy differences,” Kohlmann said.
Horowitz’s solution, however, would create far more problems than it would solve. It would involve state governments in areas they have no business regulating while creating a litigious culture on campus.
The language Horowitz uses might not reflect the damage his Bill of Rights is capable of. For instance, Horowitz proposes that “allocation of funds for speaker activities and other student activities will observe principles of academic freedom and promote intellectual balance.”
The idea of “intellectual balance” is unsound at best and outright dangerous at worst. If there are 20 liberal groups for every conservative group on campus, then achieving intellectual balance would involve giving the conservative group as many funds as the other 20 liberal groups combined. It would also lead to a variety of fringe political groups demanding extra funding from universities to achieve “intellectual balance.”
Few would argue with Horowitz’s assertions in his Bill of Rights that the hiring, firing and promoting of professors and the grading of students should be based on their performances, not their political beliefs or religions.
But if these “rights” are codified by law, every student who gets a C could claim to be a victim of political or religious intolerance. This could also worsen grade inflation, as many professors might give out favorable grades for fear of being labeled a bigot.
Although Horowitz’s solution is imperfect, the problems still exist.
“I have yet to see an avowedly conservative speaker solely sponsored by the university or a department,” Kohlmann said.
This situation needs to be corrected — but by student activists, not legislatures.
Students who feel their ideology is stifled should not have to rely on an Academic Bill of Rights to make their presence felt. Conservatives must ensure their voices are not drowned out by forming more groups that effectively convey their ideas and beliefs.
On his Web site, Horowitz claims Colorado, Georgia and Missouri are on the verge of passing his Academic Bill of Rights. If this happens governments would have the power to monitor political climates on college campuses.
That is a situation both liberals and conservatives should want to avoid.
Nadir Hassan is a Weinberg sophomore and a member of College Republicans. He can be reached at [email protected].