2008 Woodie Awards
Political opinions not suited for classroom?
by Elan Ronen
Issue date: 2/27/07 Section: News
Professors who rant about President George W. Bush's policy in Iraq or mock his recent public speaking faux pas may soon find themselves in trouble.
Voicing political opinions in the classroom will be banned in Arizona if a new bill is enacted by the state's legislature.
If made into law, the bill would prohibit college and university professors and public school teachers from advocating one side of an issue that is a matter of "partisan controversy." It would also prevent educators from endorsing or opposing elected officials and candidates for local, state and federal office.
Violators would face fines of up to $500 or the possibility of termination.
Julia Graff, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, said professors should not be sanctioned for expressing opinions.
"The whole point of democratic education is to foster debate and expose students to new conceptual frameworks," Graff said.
Enacting the bill might stop professors from discussing controversial issues and would set a dangerous precedent for state control over intellectual debate on college campuses, she said.
It would be difficult for professors to remain completely objective, Graff said.
"Bias is often inherent, particularly on controversial matters," she said. "If a professor tries to pass off a viewpoint as neutral with a claim of objective scholarship, it is more misleading."
State Sen. Thayer Verschoor, chief sponsor of the bill, voiced his support for the document in an interview published on the Inside Higher Ed Web site.
"In our institutions of higher education, students should be learning how to think, not what to think," Verschoor stated.
Senior Sebastian DiPietro, an elementary education major, said the bill's prohibition on candidate endorsements has merit. DiPietro said even if a professor's opinion on a candidate is popular, some students will always have conflicting sentiments.
Voicing political opinions in the classroom will be banned in Arizona if a new bill is enacted by the state's legislature.
If made into law, the bill would prohibit college and university professors and public school teachers from advocating one side of an issue that is a matter of "partisan controversy." It would also prevent educators from endorsing or opposing elected officials and candidates for local, state and federal office.
Violators would face fines of up to $500 or the possibility of termination.
Julia Graff, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, said professors should not be sanctioned for expressing opinions.
"The whole point of democratic education is to foster debate and expose students to new conceptual frameworks," Graff said.
Enacting the bill might stop professors from discussing controversial issues and would set a dangerous precedent for state control over intellectual debate on college campuses, she said.
It would be difficult for professors to remain completely objective, Graff said.
"Bias is often inherent, particularly on controversial matters," she said. "If a professor tries to pass off a viewpoint as neutral with a claim of objective scholarship, it is more misleading."
State Sen. Thayer Verschoor, chief sponsor of the bill, voiced his support for the document in an interview published on the Inside Higher Ed Web site.
"In our institutions of higher education, students should be learning how to think, not what to think," Verschoor stated.
Senior Sebastian DiPietro, an elementary education major, said the bill's prohibition on candidate endorsements has merit. DiPietro said even if a professor's opinion on a candidate is popular, some students will always have conflicting sentiments.
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