Results from an independent study, conducted by the author, of voter registration records and political contributions revealed that AU professors were mostly Democrats as of spring 2006.
The study surveyed voter registration records from D.C. and Montgomery County, Md., of AU professors. Out of 147 professors, 80 percent were registered Democrats, while the other 20 percent were split evenly between Independents and Republicans. Virginia does not disclose voter registration and party affiliation.
The study also showed that according to Federal Election Commission reports, 31 AU professors donated a total of $31,000 to Democratic presidential candidates between 1999 and 2004. During the same period, three AU professors donated a total of $1,250 to Republican presidential candidates and one AU professor donated $500 to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
The issue of academic and intellectual diversity on college campuses has concerned students and some in politically conservative circles nationwide. Disproportionate political affiliation among professors has led some critics to claim that colleges are too liberal and present one-sided viewpoints.
National Trends
The issue of academic bias has concerned lawmakers and colleges nationwide. In October 2003, Congress proposed a bill calling for an Academic Bill of Rights in order "to secure the intellectual independence of faculty members and students and to protect the principle of intellectual diversity."
In January 2006, the Georgetown University College Republicans hosted a weekend-long event regarding the issue of intellectual diversity on campus. Speakers and workshops aimed to highlight the presence of liberal biases on college campuses, in the media and in the government.
The Washington Times reported that the board of trustees at Temple University recently passed a Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities bill. The document "includes provisions protecting students from ideological discrimination and outlining grievance procedures against faculty bias."
David Horowitz, a controversial conservative proponent of academic freedom on university campuses, spoke at AU last spring. The event was sponsored by the AU College Republicans. Professors are robbing students of their education if professors have political agendas that deprive students of opportunities in the classroom, Horowitz, author and founder of Students for Academic Freedom, said at the talk. Horowitz spoke to students about his book, which "black-listed" liberal professors and advocated the institution of a Student's Bill of Rights.
Students React
As part of the study at AU, approximately 100 undergraduate students completed an anonymous online survey asking if they had heard professors weave their political beliefs into classroom discussion. Responses varied widely and included the following:
- "It would not bother me if my professors decided to allow their personal view to be discussed as long as it creates a dialogue among the students."
- "Many professors are blatant liberals. I'm a liberal, and even I'm annoyed. I'm here for an education, not liberal rants."
- "This is why I came to college - to discover and ponder various ideas in the search for truth. Candid professors should be encouraged; those calling for censorship should rethink the strength of their own positions if they can't hold up to teachers' comments."
Clare Allenson, president of AU College Democrats, said the most important concern for any university is to hire the most highly qualified professors.
"To have quotas for the number of liberal or conservative professors would limit the pool of applicants and thus lower the caliber of a university's education," she said.
John Zevitas, president of the AU College Republicans, also said colleges should hire the most qualified candidates, and students can learn about their professors and any biases they might have by using Web sites such as RateMyProfessor.com.
"We can't make rules ... it's freedom of speech," he said.
Will Haun, vice president of College Republicans and a former Eagle editorial columnist, said there is nothing wrong with professors having opinions so long as their opinions do not negatively impact students.
"Professors are individuals," he said. "When they have the responsibility of educating students, they should put those viewpoints aside."
Professors Respond
Associate professor Anthony Ahrens, former chair of the Faculty Senate, said that to his knowledge, the Faculty Senate has not dealt with the issue of intellectual diversity among faculty.
Professor Scott Parker of the College of Arts and Sciences, said trying to create a perfectly balanced system would be almost impossible.
"Is it unfair not to include several different approaches to statistics in a statistics class?" Parker said.
The American Association of University Professors cautions professors "against introducing into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject matter."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article reports findings that appeared in a 15-page research paper for an honors colloquium during spring 2006. For logistical reasons, the results do not represent the entire faculty and staff of American University.
