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Voter rolls show UNL City Campus faculty leans left

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BY SAM ERB AND SAMANTHA HENG / For the Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 - 12:24:41 am CDT

Josh Withrow will always remember the Nov. 2, 2004, election.

The next day, Robert Aguirre burst into a University of Nebraska-Lincoln classroom, looked at the students and offered this pronouncement: Republicans are going to destroy the country, and they should all be quarantined and removed from society.

Aguirre was the teacher.

Story Photo
Michael Wagner, UNL professor of political science, says he is a Democrat but doesn't express his views in the classroom. He said doesn't want to make any class members feel awkward.
Redwire report

University of Nebraska-Lincoln students who write for Redwire, a publication produced by the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, checked over voter registration records of UNL faculty on the Nebraska Secretary of State's Web site to do this report.

Redwire is available on the UNL campus. For more information, contact Redwire editors at redwire08@gmail.com.

“There was stunned silence that seemed to go on for a long time, until a student spoke up and asked him if he thought he was stepping over his boundaries,” said Withrow, a conservative from a Virginia military family.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

Withrow is one of many conservative students from Nebraska, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 3 to 2.

On campus, a much different dynamic emerges: 11 political science professors are registered Democrats, and zero are registered Republicans. In sociology: 31 Democrats, one Republican. In history: 25 Democrats, four Republicans.

Overall, Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1, making City Campus a deep blue island in a vast, statewide sea of red.

“Liberal people tend to be more attracted to the development of the mind, whereas more conservative (people) may be attracted to business,” said John Hibbing, one of those 11 Democrats in the Political Science Department.

Whatever the reason, the disproportionate number of Democrats among faculty on the main campus raises a number of questions. Among them:

* Where’s the line between academic freedom and political indoctrination?

* Does the largely liberal makeup of the faculty stifle the voices of more conservative students?

* Is this an age-old trend that is intensifying or simply becoming accepted as part of the academic landscape of public universities?

Academic freedom vs. indoctrination

UNL has a strong open speech policy. It allows faculty members to speak freely about their curriculum based on the subject taught, said Juan Franco, vice chancellor for student affairs.

“Universities are places where issues need to be discussed, but I would be disappointed if (a political discussion) was in an accounting class,” Franco said.

What UNL does not have is a general policy on political discussions in the classroom, he said. And individual colleges don’t have policies regarding political biases in the classroom.

The deans of the colleges of Journalism and Mass Communications, Education and Human Sciences and Arts and Sciences all echoed the same common theme: Faculty views on political issues will naturally come out in the classroom, but faculty members need to stimulate discussion by showing both sides.

Although educators “have a certain responsibility to not shove ideas down kids’ throats, public campuses have a responsibility to bring the political process to classrooms,” said Education and Human Sciences Dean Marjorie Kostelnik.

Although there is no official policy, faculty members are expected to discuss politics without forcing their own beliefs upon students, Kostelnik said.

But students say they have seen faculty members breach this unwritten code.

Dirk Chatelain, a 2004 UNL graduate, said he encountered a liberal bias in a civil liberties class during his last semester of college.

“I was not an angry partisan; he didn’t push my buttons,” Chatelain said. “I agreed with him on 90 percent of the court cases, but that wasn’t the point. He wasn’t addressing the logic of the opposing position.”

During the class, Chatelain felt that each case offered the opportunity to spark debate that was “stifled” by the political science professor.

“He would purposely or inadvertently stifle the conservative argument,” Chatelain said. “A civil liberties classroom should spark debate — there are 40 different people who bring different views — and you can learn more during student debates than from just listening to the professor.”

The deans say professors should guide discussion and debate, not force their biases on students.

“A biased point of view is not what education is about — that’s propaganda,” said Will Norton, dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Students get offended

UNL Political Science Professor Michael Wagner said students tend to be more easily offended these days.

When President Bush enjoyed more support a few years ago, Wagner noted, praising him would have repelled students who disliked the president. Today, conservative students might take offense if an instructor points out how much Bush’s approval ratings have declined.

Because of this “selective perception,” Wagner doesn’t share his political views with his students.

“I don’t want half the class to turn off right away,” he said.

That’s why his office walls are covered in posters and campaign ads of famous Democrats as well as Republicans.

Mike Doty, a sophomore political science and pre-law major, appreciated that Wagner didn’t indoctrinate his students in class last fall.

“I like it better when a professor keeps you guessing,” he said. “College is a time that students should face views opposite of their own. It should get them to understand why they support what they support.”

Not all professors take Wagner’s approach.

Aguirre, who left UNL after the spring 2005 semester, did not hide his political views, Withrow said.

After fully realizing how anti-Republican the writing rhetoric lecturer was, Withrow said he tried to “fly under the radar.”

It worked until Aguirre noticed a pro-Bush sticker on Withrow’s backpack. From then on, Withrow said, the lecturer referred to him as “the Republican.”

“The next class (Aguirre) showed up with a stack of papers about (2004 Democratic presidential nominee John) Kerry at least an-inch-and-a-half thick,” Withrow said. “And one by one started slamming them down on my desk, saying why I was wrong.

“He didn’t do it to anybody else in the class. Just me.”

Redwire was unable to find or reach Aguirre.

Seth McDonald, a registered independent, was in the same class as Withrow. He said Aguirre showed videos detailing the conservative bias of FOX News and — in lieu of traditional lectures — anti-Iraq war propaganda.

“In a way (the experience) was good because now I keep an eye out for biases,” said McDonald, a 22-year-old marketing major. “But in a way it shaped my life … now I tend to lean towards the liberal side.”

Said Withrow, a senior history and classics major: “Most of the faculty are very liberal, but they are willing to debate it, whereas students, both Democratic and Republican, are less likely to debate it reasonably.”

A liberal academia

So does any one thing explain why some public universities tend to have a more Democratic, liberal tilt — at least among faculty?

Solon Simmons, an assistant professor of conflict sociology at George Mason University, recently conducted a study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. After carefully examining responses from 1,417 professors at more than 900 institutions, Simmons concluded about 90 percent referred to themselves as either liberal or moderate.

“It boils down to money and an interest in new knowledge,” said Simmons.

Conservatives with the talent and opportunity to teach, he said, are more likely to take better-paying, non-university jobs. Wanting to preserve old ways of thinking as opposed to creating new knowledge, which is what universities do, is also a common conservative point of view, he said.

UNL Political Science Professor John Gruhl isn’t surprised, and said it isn’t a phenomenon specific to UNL.

Applicants for faculty positions are themselves products of higher education, which tends to be more liberal. So it isn’t a conspiracy to have more liberals than conservatives, Gruhl said.

The University of Nebraska system is governed by eight regents, seven of whom are Republican.

The Democrat, Chairman Chuck Hassebrook, said university professors often are Democrats, but the private sector is often more dominated by Republicans.

“It’s good to get young people exposed to all kinds of ideas,” he said. “It gives them a chance to hear different sides of the issue so they can make a decision.”

ASUN President and Student Regent David Solheim discounts the notion that students can be inoculated with a liberal bias simply because City Campus has three liberal faculty for every conservative.

Yes, it’s liberal.

“But there are a lot of places more liberal than Lincoln, Nebraska.”

Sam Erb is a senior news-editorial and broadcast major in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Samantha Heng is a senior news-editorial major.


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The only bias at work here... wrote on March 23, 2008 12:44 am:
" ...is self-selection bias. "

 Sad Day wrote on March 23, 2008 12:44 am:
" Sad thing is that most of these liberal professors have no idea how to apply their 'theory' in real life. This shows why our schools are going down hill and not preparing us for REAL life! 'Professors' who spout their liberal trash at a class without objectively looking at the other side should be fired on the spot. "

 Rob wrote on March 23, 2008 12:58 am:
" "Wanting to preserve old ways of thinking as opposed to creating new knowledge, which is what universities do, is also a common conservative point of view, he said."

That is hogwash. I am an engineer and conservative, and we are always pushing the state-of-the-art in technology. Lets call it like it is: liberals are creating 'new knowledge" to justify the leftward tilt to socialism. What does that have to do with education?
"

 Cat wrote on March 23, 2008 1:09 am:
" Are you saying that college faculty are often liberal? Gosh, golly, wow. Captain Obvious strikes again. "

 Chris N wrote on March 23, 2008 2:51 am:
" As a graduate of UNL, with a BA in political science and psychology degree and a Republican, I had the opportunity to study under a couple aforementioned professors. I found that the majority, despite my Republican views, challenged me to cultivate my beliefs and encouraged my understanding of them. In a rare occurrence did I ever run into any backlash or a lower grade. I had some great professors in the political science department and I owe them great thanks for their encouragement and tutelage in preparing me for a career in politics in Washington D.C. Thank you Dr. Gruhl and Rev. Dr. Combs "

 Rube Jackson wrote on March 23, 2008 4:47 am:
" What are we going to do about this pernicious pinko LIBERAL BIAS in our UNIVERSITIES! Maybe we should set up our own kind of colleges and learnin places so we don't have to hurt the ears of our impressionable students with other view points, or, um, the truth , etc.....Who knew that a veritable 5th column was alive and well in the heart of the City. Perhaps all the talk about changing the fair grounds to a tech park is just code for some kind of left wing socialist movement. Be aware Lincoln, be very aware. I hope the Governor and Coby Mach are aware of this! Its not easy being a white christian conservative these days, you are literally hounded at every turn in your efforts to live a good life and make an honest buck by liberal apologists in academia. Thank you for shedding a light on this horrible problem festering right under our noses. Perhaps you can write a story about how difficult it is for non-working mothers who have to actually look at homeless panhandlers when they go to the children's museum, or how difficult it is to hire quality home cleaning services, or how it's not easy having a boat with these high gas prices. Maybe we should start turning in these left wing enablers! Why stop there? I hear that the media is pretty conservative too, like, umm, ahh, ummm......I guess that community radio station seems kind of left wing, I mean they play the jazz and blues for goodness sakes, what more evidence do you neeed.........hmmmmm, is it time for another McCarthy type movement? Maybe. Great article. "

 LJS bizarre reporting wrote on March 23, 2008 6:20 am:
" The big question I am wondering is why to the educators seem to be "liberal"? What is it about knowledge that creates the majority of liberal educators. The LJS did not address that question very well. "

 Free Speech wrote on March 23, 2008 7:22 am:
" So. Let's bring on the comments from all the folks out there who are outraged that these godless commie liberals dare to speak out to students. Because you know, these same folks speak not a word when the right wing professors speak out. I attended the university and have had both liberal and conservative professors; the liberal ones tended to express their opinion while encouraging us to form our own conclusions. The conservative ones tended to express their opinion and tell us that we were stupid if we disagreed. Either way, we as students were capable of independent thought and were able to form opinions separate from our professors on both sides of the political spectrum. Frankly, I don't even see why this is a story. A left wing outspoken professor is not going to bring flocks of students over to the Dark Side of Democracy just by offering an opinion. "

 Comm UnSense wrote on March 23, 2008 7:24 am:
" UNL Faculty Leans Left. Duh! Ya think? "

 ya think?? wrote on March 23, 2008 7:44 am:
" In other news of the obvious:the sun is yellow and rises in the east. Dinosaurs are extinct. It has also been determined that the earth is round.

I'm glad that these student journalists have realized something so obvious. Faculty, particularly those in the liberal arts (go figure) are extremely left wing. 20 years ago, I recall being admonished for expressing any views that were moderate. much less conservative. When my nephew began school at the University of Nothing but Liberals this year, he asked for advice. I told him to give all speeches and papers a left leaning tilt in order to get better grades. He didnt believe me but has since told me that I was correct.
it's really too bad that college campuses can't promote the teaching of facts and the development of independent thinking. Our system of education has become so focused on propaganda and political correctness that it is no wonder this country is slipping behind in so many areas.

"

 Randy wrote on March 23, 2008 7:53 am:
" What would the response be if I made the statement that Jews or Blacks or homosexuals were destroying this country and should be locked up and quarantined and removed from society? I would correctly be called a racist, homophobic bigot, but Agurrie was called a college professor. But Agurrie was only referring to Republicans. My kid won't be attending UNL. I want my kid to to educated not indoctrinated. "

 Laurie wrote on March 23, 2008 8:25 am:
" Did you know, in sections of this great country of ours, Democrats actually outnumber Republicans? Can you even believe that? There are entire communities (thankfully, they are probably all in California) that don't even believe in JESUS! Something has to be done. Aren't they "indoctrinating" all those other people out there? I thought we had it arranged: our most peculiar trait here in Nebraska being that not only do we NOT tolerate differing opinions, we are supposed to act personally offended if someone does not agree with us. Are we all SO INSECURE that some (gasp, LIBERAL!) is going to be telling our kids what he thinks? Hell, they might come home and start asking questions, and we might actually have to defend some of the social and political opinions that we hold dear. It's a good thing for us that Nebraska has a brain drain. If we didn't, we might have to start using our own, and that would be most unpleasant. "

 funny wrote on March 23, 2008 8:42 am:
" College faculty leaning left? You're kidding me. Wow,the next thing you're going to tell me is that the sky is blue. "

 Big News wrote on March 23, 2008 8:59 am:
" So teachers, professor's and the young people that listen to these professor's preach their agenda's are usually liberal. Wow, thats some real ground breaking stuff LJS. It's only been that way since the beginning of time. DUH!! "

 Mrs. Johnson wrote on March 23, 2008 9:21 am:
" Professor Aguirre was right! Look what the GOP has done the past 7 years. Just because mommy and daddy belong to one party or another doesn't mean you can't think for yourself Nebraska! "

 Cole wrote on March 23, 2008 9:36 am:
" If you're smart and your interest in improving the human condition supersedes your desire for material wealth, the teaching profession fits like a glove.
If you're smart and you believe that your pursuit of personal gain supersedes your interest in improving the human condition, the corporate ladder fits like a glove.
The cool thing is that one cannot climb the corporate ladder without an education and education cannot exist without the wealth generated by corporations. We need bleeding heart socialists AND selfish robber barons to make it all work.
Wouldn't it be great if the conservative corporate ladder climber succeeds and donates millions in the name of the liberal professor that drove him or her crazy while attending university?

"

 jo wrote on March 23, 2008 9:49 am:
" Most educated people lean left. It's a fact not a liberal conspiracy. "

 ted wrote on March 23, 2008 9:51 am:
" I am the only Republican in my faculty unit at UNL which includes 20 faculty. One reason so many faculty members are Democrats is that they have never tried to run a business. They have very idealistic ideas about the world, and they have limited concerns about budgets. Most of them have never worked in a business that needs to balance their budgets; and many of them could not survive in the private sector. "

 Dave K wrote on March 23, 2008 9:56 am:
" I am shocked by this revelation. "

 Easy wrote on March 23, 2008 10:01 am:
" Studies have shown that intellectuals and people with advanced degrees tend to lean the left. There are many reasons for this, but I am inclined to believe the more education you receive, the more you believe in helping those who are less fortunate. Look at the mistakes that have been made in the last eight years: mistakes of greedieness, inepitude, selfishness, and uncaring. It is clear that had we had a democrat in office, the last eight years would not have gone down as some of the darkest, most unelightened of this country's proud history. "

 Matt wrote on March 23, 2008 10:28 am:
" I am not quite sure why this is a news story, as all colleges tend to be dominated by those leaning to the left. The only thing that is somewhat interesting is that the % of staff to the right is so large (realatively speaking) "

 Craig wrote on March 23, 2008 10:41 am:
" Gee!!! What a shock. UNL liberal!!?? "

 Tom wrote on March 23, 2008 10:57 am:
" What a suprise, here in the heart of liberal Lincoln, a den of liberals tring to impose thier views on young minds. College is about learning. Part os this is learning that people do not all think alike. A profeesor can shape a mind in a direction if they try but they should be tring to let young minds see both sides of an issue, not brain washing or putting down those that believe differntly than they do. Of course thatis the method that most special intrest groups use to force feed thier ideas to us. Teach don't force issues on young minds. "

 Gerard Harbison wrote on March 23, 2008 10:59 am:
" 'Leans left'? If they were any more weighted to the left, they'd fall over.

I served as faculty advisor to the College Republicans for 5 years. When asked why a chemistry professor was advisor to a political group, I invariably answered that it was because there wasn't a single Republican on the Poli. Sci. faculty. Surely nobody thinks that a department that is composed entirely of members of one political party can give students an objective appraisal of politics in America?

The answer that 'Republicans' are only interested in making money is too trite. There is a systematic bias against conservative ideas and conservatives across the university, though it's less bad in the sciences, engineering, and some of the professional schools. "

 Locke wrote on March 23, 2008 11:11 am:
" The Political Science department used to have a registered Republican on board. I wonder if he/she was chased out because of his/her political views. Wouldn't be surprising and probably done in the name of academic freedom. "

 Ryan wrote on March 23, 2008 11:28 am:
" More education has always led to person being more liberal. It has nothing to do with indoctrination. It is this way all over the world, all through history. Liberalism is the culmination of an increased intelligence and awareness of the world and it's people. Recent studies have also shown that people become more liberal as they age. It's natural, folks. Put your Limbaugh down and go read a book. "

 David wrote on March 23, 2008 11:34 am:
" Why is it that conservative beliefs are "beliefs" but liberal beliefs are "bias?" "

 Not Surprised wrote on March 23, 2008 11:41 am:
" Maybe this is why Lincoln has so many problems. The democrats think they're the ones with the brains and are teachers and the Republicans do all the work. "

 Carl wrote on March 23, 2008 11:48 am:
" It's not just UNL folks. My oldest is in the 3rd grade, and I fight this battle almost every night. You would not believe some of the crap that these young kids are getting taught as fact everyday. At least college age kids are more able to think and judge for themselves. But a 9 year old pretty much looks at their teacher as the all knowing, and digest every word they say. "

 LanceR wrote on March 23, 2008 11:59 am:
" Yes, teach don't force issues on young minds. It's just obscene when people do that. Unless it's Sunday School. That's okay. Or if it's Republican propaganda. Give me a break. "

 JC wrote on March 23, 2008 12:02 pm:
" My political science instructor at UNL told the class that the department was told to teach a "Left view point" because most of us students were "obviously republicans" and we "needed another view." Does anyone else think that is wrong? P.S. same instructor asked the class if there was really a difference between our troops, and terrorists. "

 WCG wrote on March 23, 2008 12:02 pm:
" Big deal! These professors aren't teaching toddlers, after all. If you've actually attended college, you'll know that students simply disagree with professors who express views different from their own. And with other students, too. If anything, it's good that such a Republican state has a more liberal college, so that students will be exposed to a variety of thinking. But if you think they're going to turn out hordes of zombie Democrats, you need to turn off Fox News occasionally and get some fresh air. This is much ado about nothing. "

 Scott wrote on March 23, 2008 12:05 pm:
" Hey, I say that if you're not smart enough to filter rhetoric and make your own decisions in college, you deserve to get "indoctrinated," if that's truly happening. Heck, maybe you shouldn't BE in college if you can't make those choices for yourself. "

 Dee wrote on March 23, 2008 12:12 pm:
" It is not a bad thing to be a liberal and as much as I'm sure I will roast in hell it is not a bad thing to be a conservative. It is important to have both. Really the issue is balance, the recognition that beliefs are a continuum. Supporting the view of one party does not make you a member of that party. The courts and our system support the right of the corporation as a person. The individual rights of citizens are eroding in favor of business. This is the world we live in. Liberal leaning academia provides a balance. This is the world run by people who were educated in the “liberal world of academia” they don’t seem to be to much worse for ware.
It is the responsibility of higher education to provide exposure to values and ideas other then those that are the norm for students. The point of higher education is to promote and hone critical thinking skills, not to “indoctrinate”. Assuming that those people attending a higher education institution are able to develop these skills and accept a challenge to their comfort zone rather then having a path of conservative “indoctrination” they will be able to develop their own opinions.
It is obvious that neither the liberals nor the conservatives have the absolute answer and that balance is the key. Until we can come to a balance in our “real world” it is likely that academia will continue to be left leaning. Nature abhors a vacuum. The apparent polarity of this “finding” when compared to the reality of the world we live in is evidence of this.
"

 Edgar Pearlstein wrote on March 23, 2008 12:40 pm:
"
I am a professor at UNL (retired) In all my years there I never witnessed a case of discrimination based on political or religious views. In most cases, I don't even know those views of my colleagues.

In my own classes (in physics) there was essentially no opportunity to bring up political or religious issues. (Except, perhaps, with regard to the heliocentric model of the solar system.)

Some conservatives seem to have persecution envy.
"

 PB&J wrote on March 23, 2008 12:42 pm:
" As an UNL alum who took all kinds of social science classes after 9/11, I never experienced anything like students in Aguirre's classes did. The views of a handful of professors were expressed at some point in the class, but none rammed their leftist ideology down my throat. Actually, being exposed to viewpoints different than those I was raised with helped me develop a moderate, and very cynical, view of the world. "

 ed wrote on March 23, 2008 12:54 pm:
" I'll ask it: What is the political leaning of the authors of this non-news item? And as far as the university teaching staff, if they are asking students to think outside the borders of what they learned 'back home'; if they ask them to stretch their boundaries; if they ask them to consider issues from ALL viewpoints, then those teachers are doing their jobs. "

 Pat wrote on March 23, 2008 12:56 pm:
" Ah, I see... From these comments it's perfectly acceptable to indoctrinate students, just so long as it is conservative. Welcome to Nebraska. "

 Come on Tom.... wrote on March 23, 2008 1:40 pm:
" I think you should give College students more credit. We aren't all brainwashed that easily. However, I would hope that this paper could dedicate some more space to more important issues. "

 jab wrote on March 23, 2008 1:50 pm:
" Surprise, surprise! "

 Amie wrote on March 23, 2008 1:51 pm:
" Heaven forbid young adults come to college and hear a different viewpoint.

I once taught at a conservative Christian high school where speaking well of any non-Republican was considered to be a "liberal bias". Things I was accused of bias for:

*Telling a speech class that then President Bill Clinton was a good public speaker.
*Answering this question: "How long has Clinton been president?" by saying: "Since January 20, 1993" (I was "biased" because I knew the inauguration date--never mind that it's in the Constitution)
*Telling students that then Senator Bob Kerrey lost part of his leg in Vietnam (this was biased because it may have made students think well of a Democrat)

These students went on to schools like UNL, where (as this article says) they interpret facts like Bush's low approval ratings as being intended to offend them or change their beliefs.

They need to grow up. "

 Grad student wrote on March 23, 2008 6:33 pm:
" I hold a BA from UNL and have nearly completed my MA there. What holds my attention are FACTS, regardless of whether they support my political position or not. Facts are neither liberal nor conservative, and I respect all fact-based points of view, whether from my peers or professors. When I hear conservative undergrads grumble about a liberal professor, I tell them to do their research and come up with an intelligent counter-argument. College means learning to think for yourself based on the best information available. "

 Holly wrote on March 23, 2008 6:54 pm:
" There's a difference between exposing students to different viewpoints. That's obviously something that should happen. But humiliating students who dare to disagree with your opinions is wrong, and I think that's what this article is getting at. If you want to challenge your students, fine. But show their beliefs the same respect you demand for yours. "

 BamaGuy wrote on March 23, 2008 8:19 pm:
" I am an MBA student at UNL.

"Liberal people tend to be more attracted to the development of the mind". This guy is kidding, right? These are the same people who think that social security is a good investment and government education of children can be fixed by spending more money.

I'm a libertarian but I can find a few things that Bush has done that I agree with. The liberals are wrong about everything. I'd be happy to tell any professor in any class that he/she has no clue what she is talking about when they start spewing their Marxist-Leninist propaganda. "

 Grad Stud. is right wrote on March 23, 2008 8:38 pm:
" Colleges and universities (actually, high schools should) should teach students to substantiate their views with FACTS. Opinions, from professors or students, are open to scrutiny and ridicule. In this age of information overload, if a student doesn't know what they're talking about, the student should be quiet. "

 Matt P. wrote on March 23, 2008 8:46 pm:
" I can't believe how asinine some of these comments are, from both the left and the right. The conservatives seem to think that liberals are crazy and can't run a business (I'd point out that Bill Gates is very very liberal). While the liberals seem to think that they have a stranglehold on intelligence (think of all the successful doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs who are republicans...are they stupid??).

This is ridiculous and completely non-news. Educational institutions tend to attract more of the "idealist" crowd, who tend to be more liberal. They are not wrong or right, they tend to focus more on the purpose of society and what our government "should" be doing for Americans. While conservatives tend to be a bit more practical and tend to focus on what the government "can" do for Americans. The beauty of the system is that we need an equal dose of both these ideologies.

The idea that UNL professors are somehow "poisoning" the minds of the youth is just absurd! And the idea that liberals are more intelligent is just absurd. I am so sick and tired of both of the venomous rhetoric coming from both sides I could puke. "

 UNL 97 wrote on March 23, 2008 8:54 pm:
" Many University professors and teaching staff are the most intolerant people demanding tolerance (a.k.a. unquestioned acceptance of their opinions.).

I believe one of the University instructor's greatest problems is they are highly paid and disconnected from reality. My my personal observations, the professors are paid very well (per hour of work) and have almost no accountability for their actions or behavior. For the kind of power and control they possess, this is frightening.

From my observations, in the real world, there is more accountability built in a "real world day's work" than a department's staff has in a accumlative year. This breeds arrogance, ignorance, and a closed minded, intolerant classroom environment.

I wish the University would "branch out" and have a university that somewhat represents Nebraska; not a bunch of insolent idealogues, detached from society, and living in a world that only exists in academia.
"

 The Graduate wrote on March 23, 2008 9:28 pm:
" When I attended UNL in the 1970s, I learned critical thinking from a few of my best professors. I was never indoctrinated, but rather asked to stretch my thinking. Most of my profs never expressed political views at all, even in anthro, education, psych, etc. I actually felt they were too conservative. "

 wow wrote on March 23, 2008 9:30 pm:
" Conservatives may want to ask themselves a hypothetical question that if a university were a 50-50 split between its conservative and liberal faculty at its inception, would it evolve to turn blue under the principle of academic freedom?

A more interesting study would be to analyze the evolution of faculty politic composition of universities which are strongly affiliated with churches, such as BYU and other Christian colleges.

Otherwise, there is little learned from the article. A liberal UNL! What a surprise. Tell me something new please.
"

 happyirish wrote on March 23, 2008 10:24 pm:
" I was subject to the same pressure back in 1949 while attending A university in that New York City. That type of bias in favor of what is now called liberalism is not new on campuses. "

 SCW wrote on March 23, 2008 10:54 pm:
" Keep this in mind people...'Better Educated' does NOT equate to 'Higher intelligence.'

A lot of idiots can still get PhD's and a lot of very smart individuals can make a good living AND make a difference in the world without a College/University education.

The statement 'Most educated people lean left.'...Depends on your definition of education. True intelligence would allow individuals to see the strengths and weaknesses of every political party. They do exist.

To try and imply that left leaning liberals are the only correct, educated, and intelligent people on the planet is just an ignorant point of view. Plenty of intelligent Democrats and Republicans out there, and plenty of blind party 'followers-at-all-costs' as well. "

 Why do we label each other like this? wrote on March 23, 2008 11:09 pm:
" When we should label each other as 'Americans'?! "

 Merle wrote on March 24, 2008 1:15 am:
" In some ways, I think educators ought to be in the business of teach students how the world IS and how the world COULD BE. I think right-leaning educators are very good at projection the world how it is, but I also think, by definition, left-leaning professors might offer ways of thinking for how the world could be. Now, I am not saying that the left has a monopoly on how the world could be; I am suggesting that, by definition, left-leaning professors might suggest alternatives and challenges to the status quo way of thinking. I'm not talking about Democrat versus Republican. I'm talking liberal vs conservative. I would hope that higher educators are more bias toward freedom of thought rather than tradition. Unless, of course, everyone is satisfied with the way things are. I think the ideals of change may be in order for the younger generation. "

 Whine wrote on March 24, 2008 9:20 am:
" So Republicans are the majority in Nebraska - and the fact that on the UNL campus facult members lean slightly left - all of a suddent Republicans are being oppressed and are afraid to share their views? Give me a break. You're an adult in college - it's time to start acting like one.

Also - the notion that there is a bias against right-leaning professors is ridiculous. First of all, you largely don't get into political leanings during the hiring process. Second of all, as long as the percentage of people graduating with advanced degrees who are Republican remains low, so will faculty numbers.

Not like, say, women who are earning the majority of PhD's in this country now, and are still way under-represented in junior faculty. That's actual evidence for bias against women, highly unlike the parnoid bias people seem to see for right-leaning faculty.
Give me a break. "

 Henry wrote on March 24, 2008 2:10 pm:
" Judging the professors statement by what has happened between that time, 2004, and now I would say he was correct. What's wrong with the truth? Does anyone ever ask why the more intelligent among us lean left? Does the ability to think well make us better voters and citizens? Maybe so. "

 Conservative PhD Engineer wrote on March 24, 2008 4:43 pm:
" Where is this "intelligent people lean liberal" garbage coming from? I thought the Republican party was "the party of the rich"? I wish I was dumb too so I could be a billionaire. Political leanings have little to do with intelligence, they have more to do with what you believe the role of good government is. "

 Dr. Robert Aguirre wrote on March 24, 2008 5:05 pm:
" Yes, I am the Robert Aguirre in question. And no I did not say or do the things that Mr. Withrow said I did.

Had Sam Erb or Samantha Heng contacted me, I would have told them that Mr. Withrow's recollection is incorrect.

I have written a formal response to this article, and I hope it will be printed in either the LJS or the DN.

Lastly, I'm not that hard to find.

"

 Joshua Withrow wrote on March 24, 2008 8:21 pm:
" I am the Josh Withrow in question, and Rob, you'd better rack your brains to find the day after the election of 04. I have at least one person (the Seth McDonald also quoted in this article) who can back me up. Sir, you said, and I quote, "You Republicans should be quarantined and removed from society."

I think the Journal Star took the story out of context a little bit, though, because I do not believe at all that Rob's behavior in that class is a typical classroom experience. I would also like to think that it was an aberration on Rob's part as well, though his blatant bias pervaded the entire class that semester.

Though I did not intend to embarrass Rob in the town paper, I do stand by my account. "

 Molecular Theory wrote on March 24, 2008 8:58 pm:
" The authors' failure to contact Dr. Aguirre regarding the allegations leveled at him demonstrates a complete lack of journalistic integrity. This, combined with the fact that they are using this hearsay to support their position renders the entire article impotent. It is not as if this article reports on anything that is unknown to those familiar with academia. You mean... collegiate professors tend to be liberal... who knew??? Both Erb and Heng are seniors in the school of journalism--so I'm sure the authors are aware that sloppy fact-checking is an elementary mistake to make, at best, and grossly negligent at worst. "

 JimDandy wrote on March 24, 2008 10:15 pm:
" "Yes, I am the Robert Aguirre in question. And no I did not say or do the things that Mr. Withrow said I did. "

I would have bet money this was the case, nice to have the Mr. Aguirre is working to correct it.

Should have been obvious to the two reporters that Mr. Winthrow's 'recollection' was highly suspect. But I guess verifying and finding out it wasn't true wouldn't have made for the grabber first paragraph.

So much for the Liberal (liberal liberal liberal) media. "

 Ellen wrote on March 25, 2008 3:22 am:
" “It’s good to get young people exposed to all kinds of ideas,”

UNL should post the political affiliation of each staff member next to their class listing in enroll. This way, students could choose to either be taught by a democrat or a republican.

If students tend to favor one side more than the other, requirements could be made so that students have to take a minimum number of equal courses from both sides before they would be allowed to select their own preference. This would maximize exposure to both sides of the debate and help to foster a well-rounded education for students. "

 Joshua Withrow wrote on March 25, 2008 2:16 pm:
" "UNL should post the political affiliation of each staff member next to their class listing in enroll. This way, students could choose to either be taught by a democrat or a republican."

That's ridiculous. Bias is going to creep into a classroom, usually unintentionally, regardless of the professor. Some are better at keeping it back than others. But only taking classes from professors of your own affiliation runs the risk of being indoctrinated with incorrect knowledge in the same way as if you are in a class with someone you disagree with.

The point is, students have to be able to think critically for themselves, to recognize any bias and to judge for themselves whether or not they agree. Understanding the opposition's argument is a key to understanding your own, in every subject from politics to religion to academic discussion. And besides, sometimes the other side is right, at least partially.

If a teacher's views affect the way he interprets data, that's not a big deal as long as opposing views get their chance. The only thing I'm concerned about is avoiding ridiculous and blatant indoctrination, like what Rob tried to do in his class. Fortunately, over the past four years that kind of stuff has been (at least for me) very infrequent. "

 Why so defensive? wrote on March 26, 2008 4:29 pm:
" I'm curious, why all this uproar? What do conservatives and/or republicans have to be so proud of. Are conservatives happy with this country? Are you happy with your Bush? Are you happy with your economy? What is so great about your ideology that you become so aggravated at the other side having one small part of culture that its voice is actually heard? "

 V wrote on March 29, 2008 12:44 am:
" Polarization...hate for those who disagree. I hope this is all rhetorical, or there may be something wrong with this country that is much worse than the tanking economy or intolerable war. "

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