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Intellectual Diversity” Legislation on the Rise
By Nicole M. Byrd
“Intellectual diversity” legislation has been introduced in eleven states so far in 2007 Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia). Picking up where the “academic bill of rights” campaign lost momentum, so-called intellectual diversity bills include many of the same provisions: that students be exposed to a wide range of ideas, that faculty be appointed or granted tenure based solely on expertise, and that colleges and universities report on their efforts to promote political and ideological diversity on campus.
The language of most bills is similar, in part because of the influence of a model drafted by the conservative American Council of Trustees and Alumni, though the Texas resolution differs in that it explicitly seeks to protect the academic freedom of faculty. The binding power of the forms introduced varies. Some states, Texas among them, offer resolutions “encouraging” that action be taken at the campus level. In Georgia, a resolution served as a predecessor to a bill. While the bills include courses of action for institutions similar to those suggested by “academic bills of rights,” such as including intellectual diversity questions on course evaluations or conducting campus surveys, some mandate the actions, while others only recommend them.
While “intellectual diversity” bills can sound innocuous, their consequences for academic freedom could be pernicious. The political or ideological affiliations of faculty could be scrutinized in the name of “balance,” and requirements that universities report to state legislatures encourage partisan politicians to look at education and teaching in a largely ideological way.
At press time, the bills introduced in Virginia and Montana had failed, and several others were expected to see no floor action, thanks in no small part to the efforts of AAUP members in the relevant states.
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