Free to learn and teach

Humanities professors might be more "liberal" than the general public, but we don't need affirmative action for conservative professors. \nAs long as professors don't bully students, they have the right to lead their classes unassailed by political crusades supported by a "bill of rights" that lets students whine if they are taught about ideas they disagree with. If they are bullying students, then that is a performance issue; if they intentionally omit pertinent information in their lectures, then that's a competency issue. The University should hire and fire employees based on merit and ability rather than political persuasion.\nNo department would be immune to this bill, and the University would spend more time trying to be "politically balanced" than seeking the highest scholarship for its students. There are enough administrative tangles at IU and most other universities without adding political opinion exams to the hiring process.\nFurthermore, classes are not captive audiences. Most requisite classes have multiple sections. If students disagree so strongly with a professor's politics that it hinders learning, then they can take the class with another professor. Your college, your major and your classes are choices. \nTo say that students cannot discern fact from opinion and that they will be bamboozled into the beliefs of their professors insults us. On the contrary, lectures that challenge your belief system are an integral part of a well-rounded education. \nCollege professors are not necessarily supposed to reflect the belief system of the general public. University education is not about the lowest common denominator. Rather, it's about rising above cultural stereotypes and learning the intricacies in a chosen field. Professors are supposed to profess opinions about their topic of expertise.\nThe Academic Bill of Rights is a bad idea. Assuming it can be enforced, the bill could allow whoever holds the state legislature to bias university education in their favor.\nNevertheless, its support arises from legitimate concerns about academic diversity and freedom of expression. It exists because there are conservative students who feel questioning lecturers' assertions will subject them to humiliation or reprisal, who believe lecturers are stunting their education by substituting polemics for subject matter and who fear, upon reporting such unprofessional behavior, administrative authorities will prove unsympathetic. \nThese concerns must be investigated as closely as they would for any other campus demographic group. They strike at the University's core purpose. More important than any course's subject matter is the teaching of critical thinking: awareness of contrasting views, the weighing of evidence, the formulation of one's own stance. These are the tools that foster creativity, drive scientific inquiry, promote understanding, challenge dogmas and give rise to new ideas.\nFor faculty and administration, the temptation to reject any criticism will be great -- but this would be a mistake. To steal a phrase from Charlie Nelms, IU's vice president for student development and diversity, this issue represents a teachable moment for faculty, administration and students all.