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Last week, the ethics office at the University of Illinois sent a controversial message to university employees stating they have been barred from expressing their political beliefs on campus. However, faculty members are not only forbidden from discussing their political beliefs in class, but also prohibited from putting bumper stickers supporting a specific candidate on their cars, wearing buttons and attending political rallies.
In other words, they are forbidden from expressing political partisanship — a clear infringement on First Amendment rights protecting free speech.
According to Ada Meloy, general counsel at the American Council on Education, the ACE discourages universities from explicitly supporting a candidate and prohibits institutions from donating university funds to candidates. She suggests that the University of Illinois might have issued this policy because Barack Obama is the Senator of the state.
Professors at the University of Chicago’s Urbana-Champaign campus are compiling their objections to this policy. They not only contest its “chilling effect on speech,” but also assert that it hinders the educational process. They hold that “campus education requires that faculty and students have comparable freedom of expression on political subjects.”
They also explain that events, such as rallies, make compelling discussion topics for political science and public policy classes. If professors cannot attend them, then how will they be able to facilitate discussions?
Students seem equally distraught about the restrictions set upon their professors. University of Illinois junior Genevieve Larson, a personal finance major, said she believes the ethics office is “overestimating the ability of professors to influence us students. It is one thing for high school teachers not to disclose their political beliefs,” but she believes the political leanings of college students will not be rocked by the opinions of their professors.
It is reasonable to prohibit high school faculty members from expressing their political beliefs to their students. High school administrators discourage teachers from preaching politics to their students because they could prevent them from coming to their own political conclusions.
Most students interested in politics have already developed a strong, often staunch, set of political beliefs by the time they enter college. Therefore, it is irrational to assume a professor’s political views would substantially influence the beliefs of his or her students. I personally find the restriction to be unfortunate, as it is not necessarily negative for students to be influenced by their professors.
If a conservative student’s professor makes a compelling argument in support of a liberal economic policy, then it is healthy for the student to consider his professor’s point. Only close-minded people refuse to even consider the political ideas of others. The purpose of college is to expand your horizons, not limit them.
At the same time, however, political debates tend to get us nowhere, because people on both sides of the spectrum hold fundamentally different views concerning the correct functions of government. Thus, an in-class presidential debate would probably be inappropriate.
My experiences of discussing current politics in the classroom have been far short of positive experiences. For example, a fiscally liberal student is not going to be able to convince a fiscally conservative student that Obama’s plan to raise taxes for families whose income is $250,000 or more is necessary. Similarly, a socially conservative student will not be able to convince a socially liberal student that abortion is evil. Usually, these “political discussions” turn into heated arguments.
People should respect the political convictions of those who think differently than they do. If they concentrated on listening and trying to understand the ideals of others, rather than trying to convert them, carrying out a healthy political discourse in the classroom would be more feasible. I’m not saying that it cannot be done, but it would take an extremely tolerant and mature group of people.
Regardless of the pitfalls of in-class political discourse, the new policy that is affecting the University of Illinois infringes upon First Amendment rights. Not allowing professors to place bumper stickers on their cars not only abridges First Amendment rights, but it seems like an irrelevant way to ascertain that professors are not manipulating their students.
Let’s be logical. At a large state university, students do not really notice their professors driving around campus, let alone the political messages plastered to their bumpers.
Submitted 10-02-2008
MALIBU, CA
