To Sara Dogan, national campus director of Students for Academic Freedom, the purpose of the Academic Bill of Rights is simple: to protect students from indoctrination and professors from discrimination. \nTo Robert Ivie, IU professor of communication and culture, the bill would achieve exactly the opposite goal. Ivie said one of SAF's chief architects, the so-called ultraconservative David Horowitz, is determined very consciously to stand political language on its head and use social justice and civil rights terms for opposite purposes.\n"(SAF) wants the Indiana state legislature to pass legislation that requires balance in hiring, teaching, on-campus speakers and reading lists, anything that involves the education of undergrads, both formal and extracurricular," Ivie said.\nIf passed, the Academic Bill of Rights, which was introduced Jan. 18 to the Indiana state house by Rep. Luke Messer, R-Shelbyville, as House Bill No. 1531, would require the board of trustees at state universities, including IU, to develop grading and teaching guidelines. Issues covered by the guidelines include requirements regarding diversity in grading, curricula, hiring and on-campus speakers.\nDogan, another SAF chief architect, said the bill is a list of principles SAF believes colleges and universities should adopt to ensure academic freedom is protected. According to SAF, the bill would protect students from one-sided teaching and professors from discrimination in hiring, firing, tenure and promotion.\n"Students are being attacked for political views because they're worried that if professors disagree their grades will be lower," Dogan said.\nHowever, Ivie said SAF is running on the false notion that universities are controlled by left-wing faculty. He said although SAF appears to promote diversity in the professoriate, it's actually pushing this legislation because of its opinion that universities and professors are indoctrinating students with liberal views. Ivie said SAF is actually trying to advance its objective ultraconservative political agenda.\n"Balance doesn't sound bad, but Students for Academic Freedom wants universities to ensure that it hires, promotes, tenures professors that reflect ultraconservative point of views," he said. "Bias is a function of perspective. From the position of the far right, everything is left."\nDogan, however, said the bill says nothing about balance, and the SAF is just concerned that political and religious views shouldn't be looked at in hiring and grading. She said she gets e-mails and calls everyday from students with complaints about professors indoctrinating them. \n"Some (complaints) are more general, like 'my professor never brings the conservative viewpoint,'" she said. "But when professors call students Nazis, that shouldn't be happening."
Effects in the Classroom\nThe bill, as written by SAF, says academic freedom protects "...the expression of ideas from interference by legislators or authorities within the institution itself."\nHowever, State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said if the bill were passed, the state legislation would be micromanaging the classroom process and grading, which should be run by trustees.\n"The bill would do the opposite of what it says," he said. "In fact, (it will) allow the legislature to inject itself in universities, (which would make universities) less likely to have a free flow of ideas."\nPierce, who serves as an adjunct faculty member in the IU telecommunications department during the House's off-season, said most professors would love nothing more than to have students' engagement in class. \n"I've never heard of a professor grading on political or religious beliefs," he said. \nSchool of Public and Environmental Affairs Professor Leslie Lenkowsky said he agrees colleges and universities have to be careful of laws that invite judicial oversight on campuses and that no professors want people looking over their shoulders at what they teach.\nLenkowsky, who took a two-year leave from IU to serve as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service under President George W. Bush, said, "I think a problem is (the bill) invites oversight by judicial and legislative committees (and that's) not a good thing. We ought to be able to govern ourselves."
IU does not support bill\nIU Executive Director of State Relations J.T. Forbes said the University plans to oppose the bill. \nForbes said the state shouldn't add more regulation at a time when it's trying to fund financial aid and classes so students can graduate on time.\nWhile the bill would require diversity in the professoriate and course curricula, some say the bill is unnecessary. IU Vice President of Government Relations Tom Healy said in an e-mail that "this bill is not necessary to protect the students or faculty."\n"Indiana University feels this bill does not need to be put into law," he said. "Adequate appeal processes already exist for faculty and students to utilize if they feel they or their ideas are being discriminated against."\nDepartment of Political Science Chair and Professor Jeff Isaac agreed the bill is unnecessary.\n"Most academics are pretty apolitical and are firmly committed to professional ethics and scholarly values," he said. "Most are preoccupied with scholarship and scholarly values, and they don't seek to promote political agendas in their classrooms and that's why (the bill) is unnecessary."\nIsaac added that the University already has procedures in place to help students who feel discriminated against.\n"I'm also the chair of a department and we have means of handling student complaints," he said. "I haven't encountered any problems, but if students have problems we (seek) to help them. We don't need the state legislature, it already happens. I've seen these procedures work fairly."\nAdditionally, IU has a statement of equal opportunity in employment which states IU is "committed to providing equal opportunity to its academic and work settings and ensuring its campuses are free of discrimination and harassment." It also says the University believes "a rich diversity of people and points of view enhances the quality of the education and work experience" at IU.\nForbes said he thinks IU is a very rich environment with perspectives all over the place. He also said he'd never heard of any discrimination in hiring.\nLenkoswky, on the other hand, said while he wasn't discriminated against for being conservative, he was asked about his politics at his interview for his current position.\n"I was once being interviewed and a faculty member basically said, 'You're a conservative, we're all liberals, why do you think you'll fit in here?' Certainly that did not affect hiring. Those kinds of questions create an impression that there is a bias whatever the intent was."\nLenkowsky also noted the Chronicle for Higher Education's 2004 poll showing the public thinks there is a liberal bias at universities.\n"The real question is how people conduct themselves," he said. "Our obligation is to avoid preaching political views."
Creating discussion\nDespite agreement that the bill is unnecessary, these same individuals value the discussion it has created and the message it has sent to universities.\nLenkowsky said he hopes the Academic Bill of Rights causes universities to look at their toleration of a wide range of views.\n"I do think having a diversity of views is essential and we ought to always be looking to achieve that goal."\nForbes added a legislator once told him legislation is an invitation to a conversation.\n"The message has been received," he said. "(That's) a valuable part of legislation, it can send a message without advancing the bill."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Stephanie Susman at ssusman@indiana.edu.
