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Show opinion/ A6 from Ihe left ":<•>, from (he MONDAY* NOVEMBER 14*2005 ricjlil Is there a bias in higher education? Lucy Mackenzie Opinions Writer Undoubtedly, individuals possess biases, either based upon where they grew up, the influence received from their parents, or their interests and disinterests politically, religiously, etc. Though there may be no escape from individual biases within an academic atmosphere, professors must strive to institute a greater awareness of the biases projected by society, rather than add to them, if they hope for their students to become greater critical thinkers. If the goal of higher education is to expand the scope of learning for students, then the responsibility of the professor is to provide a learning environment where extreme biases, especially those of a religious and political nature, are examined more carefully. When a professor bases her or his moral beliefs at the center of a classroom discussion, they hinder the way in which students can expand their knowledge, causing them from ceasing to question beyond their belief systems. For example, if a professor who teaches biology does not believe in the theory of evolution (for religious reasons) and structures her or his discussion in such a way that rejects research that has been performed upon evolutionary ideals, they limit the scope of knowledge for those students who agree with them by not allowing them to expand the beliefs they already hold (that "evolution does not exist"). Professors also limit the possibilities of understanding for those who disagree with them, because their religious biases impose what they believe upon those who may think differently. For instance, the student is given the solution to evolution, when ments could be confirmed otherwise. Ignorance, and the lack of desire to present another side, creates an insufficient experience for students who come to college to expand their view of the world, not to restrict it. One problem within the education systems of Utah Valley: the assumption of audience. Professors often assume that everyone in the classroom is LDS and Republican. They then structure their classrooms in such a way that excludes those who do not share the same religious beliefs or political views. When they use such religious jargon as: "home teachers" and "family-home evening" ("F.H.E"1), assuming that everyone knows what they are referring to, they display a lack of consid-' eration to those who are not of the same religious sect. Also, when professors mix their moral beliefs with their political views-for example, "gay marriage is morally wrong"-they place an end to possible discussions that would allow those who believe in another position to present their arguments. In doing so, they also enable those who do believe in such ideals to only confirm what they believe and remain ignorant to those who believe differently than themselves. Professors who strive to present both and multiple sides to controversial issues, such as gay marriage, allow their students to examine why they believe what they believe and to defend their arguments more clearly, rather than allowing them to simply provide rash judgments, which are often based upon moral appeals. An open-ended approach to learning allows students to explore for themselves what they believe, and to become more open-minded to individuals of different religious and political backgrounds. In hopes of expanding the possibilities of learning with in higher education, we the students must take the initiative if our professors are presenting extreme biases within the classroom setting. Recognizing the religious or political agenda of teachers, who may not be aware of the partial claims they often make, will force us out of the box of conformity into the realm of unconventional ideals. To those professors who have forced students to think for themselves and to question authority figures, such as themselves, I applaud you for a job well done. Because education is not about learning what is already "understood," but questioning what you think you already comprehend. to the same source, the students of the class who wrote in favor of the war to the Second Vice Chair College Republicans President of the school "Were denied the In a recent interview with Laurence extra credit." Elder, a talk show host. Professor DaAlso, a Kuwaiti Muslim wrote a provid Jordan of UC San Diego said, "Why American essay. Not only did the teacher - should I teach a point a view I don't agree of the class not correct the paper, but with?" He further added that other point also ordered the student to therapy. The • of views were "benighted" and "irrele- teacher also threatened to "visit" the vant" in a college campus classroom. Dean of International Admissions and In 2004. the professors of the historical have the student's visas revoked. Did William and Mary College (where Thom- these particular teachers get any sort of as Jefferson received his law degree) do- punishment? No! nated 99% of their political contributions Does not the First Amendment's right to Democratic politicians. It probably to freedom of speech extend to all? If wouldn't surprise you that out of the top you're not part of the left's political 20 colleges in the United States most of agendas, the answer seems to be "No!" the teachers in those colleges gave po- Professors should be held accountable litical contributions to Democrats as op- for their misdeeds in a supposed "acaposed to Republican candidates. demic free society." They also need to be The magazine American Enterprise exposed and disciplined on behalf of the did a political pole amongst professors teachers in the school, so that academic in some of the most prestigious col- freedom is not demoralized. There is no leges-Stanford, Cornell and UCLA-in liberty in halting the freedom of thought the United Stales to find out what party or speech of any person, right or left. political affiliation they belonged to, left There needs to be more open-mindedor right. At Cornell University in the his- ness in today's institutions of higher edutory department 29 out of 29 professors cation. There must be a party balance of ' were left, and out of 17 political science different perspectives in general, so that teachers 16 considered themselves left. students can make up their mind and not In addition, at Stanford University 22 have their mind made up for them. How out 24 history professors were left and many times do we see those who brownat UCLA out of 31 English professors 29 nose walking around campuses throughwere affiliated with the left. out the United States wearing their proSometimes political favoritism amongst fessors' ideologies on their" forehead? teachers themselves can ultimately hurt Pathetic. other teachers not of their political affiliThere are definitely professors that ation. Take for instance Dr. Jean Cobbs, a don't have agendas in higher education, department chair at William and Mary's and it is these teachers that we need the social work program. Cobbs founded most to promote academic freedom not this program. She was fired as departacademic favoritism toward ment chair and the reason for dismissal political constituencies. was "for riding the Republican float." One thing that would clean up higher education's seemingly one-sided ideologies could be to hold teachers accountable for unfair, biased teaching. For example, a teacher in California gave extra credit to students if they wrote a letter in protest against the war in Iraq to the president of the collese. Accordina MarkusJessup Courtesy graphic/ Disney Courtesy graphlc/Dreamworks Community members preserving values Dear Editor, After watching the recently released documentary, This Divided State, I just want to say thank you to Kay Anderson. Both he and Norm Nielson are really working hard to preserve a set of values, which are decaying like the bones of our prehistoric ancestors. Those two men, and a few like them, seem to be the only ones left in this great country of ours who cherish the primitive ideals of our ancestors. I have a suggestion for them that could help them out. I believe they need to pool their economic resources as well as their superior intellect and birth into a new institution of higher unlearning somewhere apart from this evil and corrupt world. Perhaps Tooele would be an ideal location. They could keep everyone except for members of the only true and righteous political party from attending. They could beg the government (as part of their academic curriculum) to keep a nuclear testing site as well as a place to bury weapons of mass destruc- tion. Women studies would be reduced to the necessary skills of Early Childhood Development, Office Work and Home Economics (no Vagina Monologues here). Of course they could allow for some progress for instance; they would allow Blacks to attend, however, Black's training (learning) would be limited specifically to the areas of nuclear testing and burying the weapons of mass destruction. They would also be able to train in specific service industry jobs such as bellhops, shoeshine and butlers. I'm not sure, but perhaps this academy would serve as a "city upon a hill" not unlike the city the Puritans hoped to establish when they founded this great country of ours. It could be a beacon of light welcoming in every weary pilgrim who has bean lost among the rot and decay of this dreary world. In that way, not everybody will have to be destroyed by the evil teachings of the Liberal's points of view. — Laurie Jemison Major Philosophy letter/ to the editor Salespeople not always manipulators Dear Editor, I read your article in The College Times "Dealing with salespeople." It was an interesting read. The sales profession does get a bad rap because there are too many people willing to sell their souls to make a buck. I too despise pushy, manipulative salespeople. The goal of UVSC Career Services & Student Employment is to bring part-time employers on campus that can offer a regular paycheck. Our guiding principle is that students need jobs that will pay for books, food, housing and transportation. Many of the employers in this area have sales positions with salary-pluscommission compensation plans. As a former-sales professional, I can speak from experience and say that sales is not for everyone. The profession can be challenging to one's integrity. My advice to anyone considering sales is, if you don't believe in the product/ service, don't do it. -Keith PS. Commission-only employers are now limited to just twice a year to recruit on campus - the Sales & Commission Event and the Summer Job Fair. If you hear a different story while you are walking the halls, please let us know. Keith Lite, MSEcL, Career Counselor Assistant Director, Manager of Employer Relations Career Services & Student Employment LETTERS TO THE EDITOR * E-Mail Idlers lo uvseopinionsiS'hotrnail.com * The NetXNews room is located on campus in SC220. • A i l letters become property of NetXNews and may be edited for content, specifically clarity, length or other concerns at the discretion of the Opinions Editor. * Letters between 50-250 words are encouraged and those letters marked by their succinctness arc more likely to be published * Letters must be accompanied by lull name, address, and phone number for verification purposes (contact information will not be published). Occupation, tiile or major is optional. Open letter to SPC Leishman Dear Mr Leishman, I read your letter to the editor in response to a previous article about my commemoration of the 2,000th U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. I couldn't agree with you more, point per point. Your emotional assessment of the situation is right on. Nevertheless, I was just puzzled by the response being aimed at me. Fact: 2000 (and counting) U.S. soldiers have given their lives in Iraq. Let us pause and listen. Exam ourselves and think and feel what this means. That is all that my performance was about. It seems that you have already, once and for all, thought this out and do not need to exam the situation any further. That is your right. I appreciate what you and other young men and women are willing to do for our country. I too am proud to be a citizen of this great land, and also concerned about freedom and patriotism. You say in your letter that you will be deployed to Iraq in January. I pray for your safe return. Sincerely, —Alex Caldiero Poet/Artist in Residence Philosophy/Humanities |