Although I agree with Teddy O'Reilly (Liberal professors expand dialogue, Opinion, Jan. 28-30) in that \the color of politics in humanities classrooms is annoying, even angering,"" the nature of my disagreement must qualify as the antithesis of the sentiment behind his statement. As a student at this incredibly left-leaning university, I often suspected professors feel they have free license to opine on the current political climate-regardless of the course they teach or the department they are affiliated with.
O'Reilly's claim ""we do not get that much lefty flak"" only serves to illustrate the ignorance and inability of UW students to see outside the tiny liberal stronghold that is Madison. In the first two weeks of class, I have personally experienced three incidences of professors spewing their personal leftist opinions-in parasitology, ecology, and ancient Athenian law.
Professors should not use their lectures as platforms for their personal political narratives, comments or sidebars-unless the class is about current political climates. And if politics must be introduced, should be done in a manner that is strictly factual, not laced with bias and opinion.
The current political environment has been called conservative. That thought may comfort some and infuriate others, and the country is likely heading in that direction, but the results of the last election, though convincing, are not overwhelming.
The actions of academia have not had any appreciable change regardless of the political climate. Though one might be able to rationalize teaching to an agenda rather than a curriculum based on the occupant of the White House, there is obviously no correlation. Muzzling professors is never a way to create the sifting and winnowing we claim to prize at this university, but neither is muzzling students or attempting indoctrination.
Professors making statements that are not relevant to their class material or that create an atmosphere of ridicule to a belief system are a way to destroy academic endeavor, not encourage it.
""Whether liberal or conservative, we need to be challenged."" I agree, O'Reilly. If higher education serves its function by providing students with the tools necessary to form strong and supported opinions, that challenge will come not from trying to restrain oneself during a professor's unnecessary oration, but from listening to people with differing opinions and being able to debate the facts with maturity and civility.
