Many students and professors in Pennsylvania strongly affirm that they would prefer to pursue their educational activities without the restrictions of a David Horowitz-style "academic bill of rights," says a new report from Free Exchange on Campus.

"Campus Voices: Students and Faculty Speak Out on the Free Exchange of Ideas in Pennsylvania Colleges and Universities" features statements collected from 70 students and 100 faculty around the state as the Pennsylvania Select Committee on Academic Freedom continues hearings on whether liberal bias permeates faculty hiring and teaching in public institutions.

The final set of hearings takes place May 31 and June 1 at Harrisburg Area Community College. From the start, the committee has been told that ideology is not a problem in the state. In fact, the recurring theme in student and faculty testimony is that state colleges and universities have procedures in place for students to register complaints if they feel they are subjected to biased or unprofessional learning experiences in the classroom. With hundreds of thousands of students and thousands of courses and sections, the number of complaints appears to be only a handful. For the most part, students revere the free exchange of ideas in the college classroom and say it's essential to learning.

"If professors are restricted in what they can discuss with students, it would be a serious impediment to learning," the Campus Voices report quotes Laurel Ball, a student at the University of Pittsburgh. "People are faced with a variety of issues and viewpoints in academia as well as the real world, and it is important to discuss these with more experienced people."

Paula Holoviak of Kutztown University noted that as a professor of political science, she stresses open debate and discussion in both domestic and foreign politics. "I encourage a discussion of ALL political viewpoints and I purposely play the role of devil's advocate, voicing an opinion to the opposite of the perceived classroom majority opinion."

Professor Allison Carey of Shippensburg University noted that "faculty cannot and should not pretend not to have ideas and opinions of their own." They spend years in higher education developing their expertise, she said, "and students want to hear their expert opinions."

Meanwhile, the political fallout from the hearings has not gone well for state legislator Rep. Gib Armstrong, the man who sponsored legislation creating the Select Committee on Academic Freedom. A conservative from Lancaster County, Armstrong on May 16 lost his primary bid to retain his seat.

Free Exchange on Campus is a coalition co-founded by the AFT and other faculty, student and civil liberties organizations. Campus Voices and other reports debunking the message of the so-called Academic Bill of Rights are posted online at http://www.freeexchangeoncampus.org/. [Barbara McKenna]

May 30, 2006