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AAUP Opposes Legislation Curbing Academic Freedom
By Wendi Maloney
The AAUP joined a coalition of higher education groups in June in issuing a statement reiterating widely accepted principles of academic freedom. In stressing that colleges and universities must remain free of government intervention, the statement directly contradicts the aims of the “Academic Bill of Rights” campaign mounted by conservative activist David Horowitz. Alleging that there is a left-wing political bias on campuses, Horowitz and his associates in the group Students for Academic Freedom want state legislatures to adopt laws obligating institutions of higher education to establish and enforce specific requirements controlling the “scholarly methodologies and perspectives” presented by faculty members.
“We join with our national colleagues to celebrate the diversity of institutions that make up higher education in the United States ,” says Roger Bowen, the AAUP’s general secretary. “Among both public and private institutions, there is a huge range of differences in character and mission; the faculty and leadership of each institution set the academic standards and tone for the campus. Horowitz’s legislation, unfortunately, proposes a one-size-fits-all solution. It would, for example, force faculty in small religious institutions, like those in major research universities, to present materials that ‘respect all human knowledge’ in their courses.”
Drawing on long-standing AAUP policy on student rights, the statement notes that “grades should be based solely on considerations that are intellectually relevant to the subject matter under consideration,” and that political opinions should not affect student or faculty evaluations. It calls for a “clear institutional process” for any member of the academic community who has a grievance on such matters. Most colleges and universities already have grievance and appeal procedures for students.
To date, no state has adopted Horowitz’s legislation, although the Pennsylvania legislature this past summer decided to study the issue.
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