College is synonymous with freedom. This newfound freedom allows freshly acclimated college attendees to be unapologetically themselves, with the freedom to expose their own ideas independent of their parents and grapple with the unknown. Yet, in direct contradiction of the coveted "mission statement" of a university in which most institutions promise diversity of opinion, college professors are sometimes liable of promoting liberal values and creating a precedence of non-acceptance against conservative counter opinion. This problem will only intensify in the future because the population of higher education teachers is growing intensely more liberal. A study by the Washington Post shows the ratio of liberal to conservative professors is approximately 5:1.
Conservative students have limited options: be bold and assert themselves, while facing the threat of scrutiny and the potential of lowering grades, or duck and cover; as conscientious students, many conform to fit the "mold" by biting their tongue and conceding to professors.
The year of the Donald has been particularly rocky for young conservatives, forced to explain themselves and prefacing every political conversation with "I am not a Trump supporter," or else face a war of words, degraded and demanded as war mongers, sexists and bigots and other vial stereotypes that liberals are usually so firmly against. All in all, conservatives feel as if they are walking on egg shells. Among the teacher populations, there is a preconceived notion that all students are liberal given their young ages, which gives them credence to chastise republican values freely. Republicans are mischaracterized as rich white kids, unsympathetic to the rest of the world.
This plight of young conservatives does exist to a degree at my own school at Marist College, albeit not as extreme compared to most Ivy League and state schools. There is a liberal dominance within the faculty in many departments and more of a general sense of enthusiasm when it comes to the Democratic Party, despite a very moderately conservative student body. When Marist hosted a Bernie Sanders rally during the springtime, the passion and eagerness amid faculty was surreal, many attending and some very vividly supporting. In that same week, Donald Trump was hosting a rally up the street at the Mid-Hudson Convention Center, yet in my personal experience, no faculty said a positive word.
Whilst it is true that everyone has a right to their own opinion, I do not believe it is necessary nor proper for professors to flaunt their partiality or party allegiance, often times decorating their offices with memorabilia of the Democratic party or a particular candidate, in an atmosphere that is supposed to be unbiased and conducive to free-thinking. I find it in a way intimidating, as if these professors are saying "This is what I believe; do not dare to overstep your boundaries." Can you imagine the criticism that would abound if teachers daunted Trump propaganda in their office? Just this year, controversy transpired when some students wrote “Trump” on the sidewalk at Emory University with chalk, supposedly leaving many “traumatized."
As far as conservative teachers, I have not yet in my four years of college come across one. Are they in hiding and submitting to pressure, or do they cease to exist? This ideological imbalance is not beneficial for education and it does create the possibility of teachers, being in a position of authority, to force-feel values and potentially brainwash young minds.
Furthermore, it is also no surprise to me that my college has underutilized a very prominent conservative voice, the powerhouse of cable news himself and a proud alumnae, Bill O'Reilly. His name is somewhat of a punchline around campus, a name of mockery rather than delight, despite his giving of one million dollars in donation this year! I can’t help but wonder that if Rachael Maddow, a left-leaning MSNBC anchor, was an alumna, would she receive the same disrespect?
Liberal narrow-mindedness and the stigmatization of the Republican political party is a dangerous recipe for disaster. Diversity of opinion is compulsory for education and liberal professors can no longer outpace conservatives. I call upon liberals to reach within in them, assess their values, and seek to eliminate actions that are so contrary to the American way. Force feeding progressive values only perpetuates intolerance and breeds contempt.
