Further, the legislators found that at institutions where academic freedom policies are in place—this applies to virtually all the public institutions in the state—“the policies are effective at resolving disputes.”

The committee evaluated evidence gathered from the institutions as well as testimony collected at four hearings held during the past year. The legislation creating the committee was sponsored by state Rep. Gib Armstrong, a Republican from Lancaster County who lost his re-election bid Nov. 7.

For a while it seemed as if the intent of the legislation was to pave the way for passage of the so-called Academic Bill of Rights (ABOR), which right-wing activist David Horowitz is hawking at legislatures around the country. More than 20 states have rejected ABOR bills, which would allow government intervention in how faculty are hired, what they can teach and what students can learn in their college classrooms.

“In education, there is no need for the thought police,” says AFT vice president William Scheuerman, who testified before the Pennsylvania committee in January 2006.

In response to the situation in Pennsylvania, and to Horowitz’s well-funded campaign, the AFT helped spearhead the creation of a coalition of education and civil liberties groups called Free Exchange on Campus. The coalition helped get word of the ABOR threat out to Pennsylvania campuses, which produced a strong showing of students and faculty of all political persuasions at the hearings.

State Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), a select committee member, told a local newspaper, “We reaffirmed, basically, that these [higher education] institutions are doing a terrific job, that in fact academic freedom flourishes.”

Visit www.freeexchangeoncampus.com for an in-depth report on the issue of academic freedom on college campuses.