Civil liberties are under attack -- but not from the anti-terrorism officials of the Republican-led government, as so many believe. No, Americans, civil liberties are under fire in the field of education. From pre-school to grad school, rights are being crushed and ignored. Every side of every issue must be allowed the right to exist and be expressed, or this new trend of oppression will create an American generation unable to think for themselves and denied the basic freedoms our country is founded upon. The most atrocious of all recent civil liberties violations can be found in the center of a state that has long been known for its liberal views and the fierce defense of freedom of speech -- California. According to Fox News, Citrus College Professor Rosalyn Kuhn required her Speech 106 students this semester to write letters to President George W. Bush decrying the war on Iraq and demanding he cease his plans of war. When some students requested to write letters supporting President Bush, Kuhn insisted the letters be only anti-war, and said all others would receive no credit. A few weeks later, she pulled the same stunt, this time hand-delivering the letters to California State Senator Jack Scott (D).
Only after a civil liberties group, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, stepped in were Kuhn's actions stopped. Citrus College responded to Kuhn's behavior by "appropriately sanctioning" her, placing her on administrative leave. Appropriately sanctioning? The only appropriate response would have been the immediate dismissal of Kuhn. Her Dean at Citrus College, Samuel Leigh, says there is still a possibility that Kuhn may be dismissed. But this should have already happened. Only then could the College have moved on, working to ensure their campus was a safe haven for personal expression and individual freedoms. Instead, the oppressor of freedom of speech is left safe and sound with the ability to spout her own views while penalizing those who wish to do the same.
Sure, Kuhn may now know from her little slap on the wrist that forcing students to write and share her own viewpoints is a no-no, but that doesn't stop her from using her grading powers to control how and what students think when she reenters the classroom. She obviously has been more than willing to academically penalize those who would disagree with her political ideologies. There is no reason to suspect that she won't do the same thing again, just more discreetly.
Grades aside, Kuhn's "teaching" methods are dangerous simply because they prevent students from practicing their constitutionally-protected rights. If students are denied their rights to express their own political views, what does that teach them about America? It teaches them that personal rights are sacred, but certainly not in schools, and only when those in power feel it is okay to exercise personal freedoms. It teaches them that the tyranny of the minority -- the professor -- can easily rule over a mandatory class with an iron fist, ignoring centuries of freedom and guaranteed rights. It teaches them that sometimes political ideologies and personal morals must be sacrificed in order to save a few tenths of a point on a GPA.
It's appalling. This country's college campuses should be nothing less than a melting pot of ideas with every voice and viewpoint welcomed. Diversity, right? Where is the diversity in a class where only one side is presented, where only one side is allowed, where only one side receives credit for work? Simply put, it is nonexistent.
California is no stranger to this one-sided way of thinking and teaching on college campuses. University of California-Berkeley's campus showed how one-sided it could be when, during this fall's September 11 memorial, most speakers wishing to speak in support of America were banned from speaking by students and University officials. Those that were allowed were booed off-stage and heckled so loudly that their words were inaudible. Granted, the heckling was not mandatory, but it shows the already stifling conditions beginning to pop up on college campuses. If that wasn't bad enough,what should have been a memorial for those lives lost was ruined when anti-American sentiment was sprouted freely and The Star Spangled Banner and all other patriotic songs were banned by the event's organizers for fear of offending anyone who disagreed with American government or foreign policy. Again, only one side was presented, while all others were shouted down and denied their very right to exist.
This disturbing trend, documented on The Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com), is spreading to high schools where plays showing both sides of the Israel
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | YesterdayThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
