The College Republicans will propose a bill at Wednesday night’s Associated Student Government Senate meeting seeking to establish an Academic Bill of Rights that clarifies the right of students and faculty to “intellectual diversity” on campus.
The bill, submitted by College Republicans Sen. Neil Khare and President Ben Snyder, is a nearly identical copy of a text written by conservative pundit David Horowitz available at www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org, the Students For Academic Freedom Web site.
Most of the bill’s suggestions are broad rules for guaranteeing freedom of speech on campus.
“Curricula and reading lists in the humanities and social sciences should reflect the uncertainty and unsettled character of all human knowledge in these areas by providing students with dissenting sources and viewpoints where appropriate,” reads one section of the bill.
Ravi Singh, the ASG senator for College Democrats, said the wording of the bill was vague enough that it could be used to stifle certain viewpoints rather than promote them.
After attending a meeting of the Progressive Alliance, of which College Democrats is a member, Singh said many people were concerned professors would be forced to teach viewpoints that aren’t considered credible in the academic world.
“An example they used was: Would a biology class now have to teach creationism? Because it is to many people an opposing theory to evolution,” said Singh, a Weinberg sophomore.
“If somebody wanted to protest at a speaker, particularly a Republican or conservative speaker, they felt that this could also be construed to also limit the individual’s rights to protest at this event,” he said.
Snyder, co-sponsor of the bill, said the university should take a strong stand on intellectual diversity, even if some policies are already laid out in university guidelines.
“A lot of people are making this out to be a McCarthyism thing or a conservative thing. but it’s none of that,” said Snyder, a Weinberg junior.
“It really is about intellectual pluralism and a belief that all students at NU are better served by having a variety of different political beliefs represented in the classroom fairly,” he said.
ASG will take care of some other issues at Wednesday’s meeting, including “rectifying the Rules Chair situation,” said speaker Dan Broadwell.
The appointment of McCormick senior Gabe Matlin, who was Rules Chair for about two weeks, was ruled unconstitutional by the Judicial Board on Saturday because he is graduating and can’t serve a full term. A new Rules Chair will be chosen by appointment.
Recently re-elected Evanston Mayor Lorraine H. Morton will also appear at the meeting to deliver a speech.
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