Comments on: From the Mailbag: Feedback on My Column on Political Diversity

By: Melissa Hart

Melissa Hart — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:55:22 +0000

Dan, while I admire this essay, two sentences trouble me:

“I also suggested that students working on right-leaning ideas may have difficulty finding faculty mentors. I couldn’t imagine, for instance, that journalism that supported the Iraq war or gun rights would be met with much enthusiasm. ”

This sells teachers like me quite short. In my ten years spent teaching at community colleges and universities, I’ve mentored dozens of students coming from vastly different political perspectives, and I’ve given constructive criticism, publication guidance, and “A” grades to students whose views differ greatly from my own.

(I have also written my share of op-ed pieces that inadvertently insult people because of my own generalizations.)

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:55:33 +0000

I applaud your courage to take on this topic. I read your outstanding and very accurate article in the Oregonian. Unfortunately, this bias has affected a friend of ours. He has been pursuing a doctorate at an ivy league university. He already holds two masters. He completed all of the course work for it. His dissertation advisor did not like the topic he chose. The advisor spoke with another professor (who has no tolerance for people with differing views). They have closed ranks around him and said no one is willing to be his advisor for completing his dissertation to complete his doctorate. He has offered to change topics and work with them. You have to have a sponsoring advisor, so he is forced to leave without a doctorate. He is an outstanding professor and has been teaching two courses at a university for a few years. He encourages his students to think for themselves and respects all opinions. He does encourage his students to be able to support what they believe with arguments and facts. I believe their bias is afraid of allowing students with differing values to earn doctorates and potentially be in a position of teaching a future generation. The liberals claim to be so tolerant, but truly it is only of those with the same opinion. You have unearthed this truth when you encountered their hostility. Thank you for your outstanding work!

By: Eric Wrobbel

Eric Wrobbel — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:08:07 +0000

Ah, Ron it is true! We can’t do, so we teach. It really is a wonder that our students end up getting jobs at all since they clearly learn nothing from us! And we love living in our fake world instead of the real one with the rest of you. Here in fake world, we don’t have mortgages or credit card bills, our kids don’t go to public schools with yours, none of us gets sick, and we all roll in money so you never see any of us in the Walmart. You really must think we’re smarter than you if you believe we all go to work every day and get paid to not work. I wish you were right, but I know better.

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:09:39 +0000

The real issue is that the Liberal leaning professors can’t make it in the real world. Those who can’t do, teach! Haven’t all of you heard that before? All the crazy Conservatives have jobs and are running companies making money and paying ever increasing taxes to support them! The new motto of the US and the Conservatives should be “I work so you don’t have to”.

By: Eric Wrobbel

Eric Wrobbel — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:51:39 +0000

Roark, you may be more up to date than I, but I was considering quite a number of older studies – the 1969 study by the Carngegie Commission, the 1975 Carnegie Faculty Survey, and both the 1975 and 1977 studies on the American Professoriate done by the Social Science Center at the U of Connecticut. Fred Evans wrote a nice piece in 1980 in the Journal of Politics reaching this conclusion as well. A much more recent article (2004) in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Mark Bauerlein – an English Professor who shares our Mr. Lawton’s political views – also both makes this claim and references other studies supporting the link between advanced degrees and liberalism. Perhaps where I was unclear was that by advanced degrees, I am referring to terminal degrees such as the Ph.D. and Ed.D., and not to Bachelor’s degrees. This is why while there may be a disproportionate number of liberals in the fronts of the classroom, there are still plenty of conservatives in the seats.

By: Shanie

Shanie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:24:28 +0000

The Pacific NW itself is a very liberal area and the UO is known as Berkeley North. I attended the UO (Music, 1998) for 3 years. I was just beginning to wake up and be interested in politics at that point, and I’m glad to say my conservative sensibilities escaped the UO and Eugene unscathed despite the efforts put forth by faculty, students, and especially the scribblings of the Oregon Daily Emerald. One of my faves in that particular rag was an op/ed, a full-on attack on religion including the famous Marx quote regarding the opiate of the masses. I responded with a letter demanding an apology and of course none was ever given.

So Mr. Lawton, hang in there – it is possible to be a proud Duck without swallowing all the liberal crap. Thank you for your column and website.

By: Roark

Roark — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:30:48 +0000

Eric,

“Surely you noted in our recent presidential election that there was, as there always seems to be, a strong correlation between education-level and political affiliation. The more highly education you are, the more likely you are to be liberal in your views, and vice versa.”

I don’t have the data for the most recent election but if you look at past data, here, http://people-press.org/commentary/?analysisid=95, the college educated demographic tended to vote more republican. Even if the most recent election has different results it would seem that it would be more the exception than the rule.

By: Louise

Louise — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:16:34 +0000

Dan-

As an adjunct instructor at a university, we as instructors are not to share our political views with our students. This is for many reasons including being able to have an open dialogue on different views of various subjects. Whatever the instructors political beliefs are, I would hope that instructors/professors would have the skills to facilitate a healthy discussion of diverse views in order for people to understand where each other is coming from, as well as emphasizing the rule to respect other opinions. Otherwise, there is little growth in the classroom.

Louise

By: Chet Brewer

Chet Brewer — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:09:28 +0000

Diversity of political affiliation is not critical to an education. What is critical in an education is the ability to express yourself clearly and concisely, the ability to develop a plan and execute it, the ability to question opinions and develop facts. Whining about the lack of diversity at your school is both counterproductive and stupid, you are paying for an education and should be putting your effort towards getting it. Your professors can provide guidance both positive and negative, but you have the choice of accepting or rejecting it. 10 years from now grades won’t matter, what will matter is how well you are able perform. Get over it

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:14:03 +0000

“ideological diversity is important”. But, Ideological diversity does not mean free reign to argue that the earth is flat, the Bible is the “word of GOD”, Intelligent Design has scientific merit, etc. Some things are just “wrong”.