Issues regarding diversity on college campuses have become increasingly prevalent recently. Just last March, President Trump signed an executive order that threatens to withhold federal research grants from schools that don’t support free speech. A Syracuse student stood next to him as he condemned colleges accused of suppressing speech, particularly of conservative college students who claim to be marginalized and underrepresented.

Chancellor Kent Syverud spoke about free speech at a September University Senate meeting. On Monday, he announced the members of the newly formed Free Speech Working Group, which will review policies governing free speech and civil discourse at the university and suggest revisions.

If Syracuse wants to become known as a university that encourages free speech, the school must increase the visibility of varying viewpoints among professors, encourage more open debate among students and incentivize speakers of diverse political backgrounds.

About eight in ten Republicans (79%) say professors bringing their political and social views into the classroom is a major reason why the higher education system is headed in the wrong direction while only 17% of Democrats say the same.

Even when both sides of controversial issues are brought up in the classroom, students may not feel comfortable arguing opinions that they know contradict those of their professor. A 2019 poll conducted by College Pulse, a group that measures college student public opinion, on behalf of a conservative-leaning outlet, shows that 73% of students that consider themselves republican have hidden their political views in the classroom for fear of getting bad grades due to their teacher’s opposing opinions.

Though colleges and universities might not intentionally hire liberal-identifying professors or promote liberal views, the prevalence of left-leaning faculty can indirectly limit more conservative students’ ability to comfortably speak out about their opinions in the classroom.

Many high school boards adopt policies that ensure teachers keep their views to themselves during lessons and class time to avoid conflicts of interest or perceptions of their teaching as biased. It can be easy for these kinds of districts to limit opinion and politics in their classrooms, however it would be harder to enforce that sort of rigid restriction at a university, especially one so focused on increasing free speech among students, faculty and staff.

Chancellor Kent Syverud noted in his Senate meeting speech that exposure to “a true range of views” can be “difficult to achieve at a university, or in a department where the faculty are too ideologically uniform.” Syverud said that in hiring new faculty, SU “needs to be more attentive to this issue, and more concerned.”

Bias isn’t present in all classrooms, though.

Miriam Elman, an associate professor of political science at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs said the degree to which classrooms seem biased can depend on how open the professor is about their personal beliefs.

“I think a lot depends on the professor teaching the class,” Elman said. “If the instructor makes it clear that viewpoint diversity is valued and models it in her own teaching, then a student with an unorthodox and unconventional view is more likely to feel empowered to speak her mind, even if her perspectives on the issues is a minority position on campus.”

Unfortunately, problems arise when professors do not make it clear that other opinions are valued and encouraged.

SU can do more to ensure that both sides of important political debates are represented in its classrooms. Although the university cannot hire professors solely based on political backgrounds or affiliations, they can consider options that might increase conservative representation among faculty. The University of Colorado Boulder launched a program in 2013 to bring conservative professors to what some called its ultraliberal campus. The school now hosts a “visiting scholar in conservative thought” each year. These sorts of hiring initiatives, in addition to articulating respect for conservative academics on campus, can create a more equitable political climate on campuses.

Professors already working at SU can also encourage healthy controversial discussions by more readily opening up the floor for debate among students.

Sophomore Dustin Hall, treasurer of The College Republicans at Syracuse University said these sorts of discussions can be more valuable than people often realize.

“Open debate among students is one of the most important aspects to promoting free speech on campus. Even if one side is more widely represented, debate allows students to become tougher and learn something new from one another,” Hall said. “For open debate to have that effect though, both sides must be willing to keep an open mind and find middle ground.”

SU can also work to bring speakers of both political affiliations to campus more frequently. And professors and student groups can work to ensure students are made aware of speakers representing both sides of the political aisle.

To truly encourage free speech, Syracuse must start by looking at with its classrooms. By working towards a faculty with diverse political views and encouraging debate in and out of the classroom, we can ensure all students’ freedom to speak out, in a respectful manner, about their views and opinions. These ideas will not solve all of the problems regarding comfortably speaking up on campus, but they are a step in the right direction.

Skylar Swart is a freshman political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at saswart@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @SkylarSwart.

Published on October 31, 2019 at 1:27 am