A few weeks ago I sat down to eat my breakfast and read one of Madison's weekly newspapers entitled "The Core". I opened the first page to read an incendiary article supporting the accusation that professors at UW are guilty of liberal indoctrination teaching. The article went so far as to say that it is surprising that no UW student has ever filed suit against a professor for this. Needles to say I immediately wrote a letter to the editor, which ended up being printed in the next edition of the paper and this is what it said:

"I was dismayed and angered by the "Students say no escape from professors' politics" article that ran in the most recent addition of your paper. The article supported the lofty accusation that UW professors are guilty of indoctrination teaching, which is simply not the case. As a UW senior on the cusp of graduation I have found that professors here are very loyal to teaching their subject matter and do their best NOT to express their personal opinions. I find the entire mission of those behind organizations such as Students for Academic Freedom and Noindoctrination.org hypocritical and manipulative. The Academic Bill of Rights, spear-headed by SAF, would shift the responsibility for course content and student evaluation from highly trained faculty to the state government or the courts. The Ohio senate is considering a version of this bill that would discourage faculty from teaching anything "controversial" as well as force the board of trustees, of both public and private schools, to adopt policies about what can and cannot be taught. This is all blatantly inconsistent with SAF's stated goal of achieving academic freedom. It is not surprising that no student has ever filed a complaint against a UW-Madison professor for political indoctrination because it rarely occurs. When students do complain about political indoctrination it is frequently an attempt to use the attention as a soap box to express their own political views. Such was the case earlier this semester when UW senior Joe McWilliams accused political science professor Scott Strauss of imposing his liberal views on the classroom. Following McWilliams accusation and a complaint posted on the SAF web site, the rest of the students in the class rushed to the professors defense by writing a letter that contested McWilliam's accusations, which included students with conservative political beliefs. Putting that aside, "Since when did teaching and opinions become mutually exclusive?" Professors earn their doctorates not only to gain expertise in their subject matter, but also to qualify their opinion, which could not possibly be eliminated from their teaching. Perhaps the most important aspect to consider is the effect that this "liberal bias" on campus is having on the nation. It is ironic that this issue should surge at a time when conservatives control both the legislative and executive branches of our government. For whatever multitude of reasons that liberal thinkers tend to end up in academia, this trend has not had any measurable negative effect on society. Overall this article displayed little critical thinking and selective evidentiary support. The author of this article would do good to remember that a few partisan comments does not indoctrination make."

I'm deeply troubled by this clandestine war being waged against this 'liberal bias' on campus, and I encourage others to speak out against it when given a chance.