Is this the start of a 'turn-around' from one of the larges universities in the country stating they support 'commitment to academic freedom and freedom to expression'. The problem in all this is like Mr Ogbjma said when asked about his excellent speeches and his great delivery, he smiled and said ''just words''. And look how that has turned out for setting a prescient for honesty in public discourse.
Will the University of Wisconsin follow through on it's promises to hold fast to the excellence of the best of university traditions of open and debatable discourse on campus? If history is any teacher, it will business as usual, 'just words'.
A Free Speech Challenge to the UW System
A Conservative's Call for Intellectual Diversity
Wisconsin's Speaker Robin Vos
Nothing is more bittersweet than dropping off a child at college and nothing is more exciting than the start of a school year for students. The University of Wisconsin System has 180,000 students and possibly double the number of concerned family members who are entrusting their children to live on their own, oftentimes, for the very first time. Parents and students are also entrusting the schools to provide the very best education that will help open up opportunities for a good career or an advanced degree.
But perhaps what could be most worrisome about going to college these days is the plague of political correctness that creates an environment that ends up stifling free speech and potentially damaging the minds of tomorrow.
Last December, the Board of Regents approved a policy statement to affirm its commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression. The two-page statement says, “it is not the proper role of the university to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they, or others, find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Although the university greatly values civility, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussions of ideas.”
As the 2016-17 school year commences, I would like to challenge the UW System to practice what it preaches. We took a closer look at the guest lecturers and speakers at our college campuses. My office obtained records from the UW System on the invited speakers at the four-year UW System schools in 2015 who were paid with taxpayer dollars. While not every university tracks this data the same way, we did our best to analyze the type of speaker, the amount spent and the person’s possible ideology.
Our review found roughly $2.7 million was spent on guest speakers in 2015. UW-Milwaukee spent more on speakers than any other school. Not surprisingly, a large number were easily identifiable as being liberal. The same was true with smaller schools. The largest amount paid for a single speaker was at UW-Platteville. Kathy Ober , a former professor at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and co-founder of the Social Justice Training Institute spoke three times for a total of $45,000.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, was one of the highest paid speakers for an individual speech at UW-La Crosse last December . The UW System schools have invited actors, writers, musicians and even a local farmer to speak to students, each with a varying price tag to taxpayers.
What is noticeably absent in the top paid speakers to the UW System were individuals with conservative, political or social, perspectives. Within the top 50 taxpayer-funded guest speakers, we identified less than a handful of conservatives. Sure, there could be a plethora of conservatives who refused to accept any honoraria, but I doubt it.
The data suggests that when UW System officials look to invest in an invited guest, more times than not, they’re looking for a liberal-minded individual to disperse information to the young, developing minds who pay them thousands of dollars for their education.
Intellectual diversity should be a top priority on every college campus. Every view should be present, analyzed and discussed. However, we continue to see unsettling headlines around our country, “A Majority of Colleges Restrict Free Speech” and “Faculty Member Facing Loss of Tenure for Opinions on Blog.” I’m pleased that the Board of Regents understands the need to protect the principle of free speech. But there can’t be a debate when diverse perspectives aren’t present. As our universities around the country grapple with today’s politically correct culture,
I challenge the UW System this school year to find more ways, beyond a two-page policy statement, to ensure that all perspectives, including conservative ones, are present in the classroom.
Will the University of Wisconsin follow through on it's promises to hold fast to the excellence of the best of university traditions of open and debatable discourse on campus? If history is any teacher, it will business as usual, 'just words'.
A Free Speech Challenge to the UW System
A Conservative's Call for Intellectual Diversity
Wisconsin's Speaker Robin Vos
5:18 AM, Sep 6, 2016 5:49 AM, Sep 6, 2016
Nothing is more bittersweet than dropping off a child at college and nothing is more exciting than the start of a school year for students. The University of Wisconsin System has 180,000 students and possibly double the number of concerned family members who are entrusting their children to live on their own, oftentimes, for the very first time. Parents and students are also entrusting the schools to provide the very best education that will help open up opportunities for a good career or an advanced degree.
But perhaps what could be most worrisome about going to college these days is the plague of political correctness that creates an environment that ends up stifling free speech and potentially damaging the minds of tomorrow.
Last December, the Board of Regents approved a policy statement to affirm its commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression. The two-page statement says, “it is not the proper role of the university to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they, or others, find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Although the university greatly values civility, concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussions of ideas.”
As the 2016-17 school year commences, I would like to challenge the UW System to practice what it preaches. We took a closer look at the guest lecturers and speakers at our college campuses. My office obtained records from the UW System on the invited speakers at the four-year UW System schools in 2015 who were paid with taxpayer dollars. While not every university tracks this data the same way, we did our best to analyze the type of speaker, the amount spent and the person’s possible ideology.
Our review found roughly $2.7 million was spent on guest speakers in 2015. UW-Milwaukee spent more on speakers than any other school. Not surprisingly, a large number were easily identifiable as being liberal. The same was true with smaller schools. The largest amount paid for a single speaker was at UW-Platteville. Kathy Ober , a former professor at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and co-founder of the Social Justice Training Institute spoke three times for a total of $45,000.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, was one of the highest paid speakers for an individual speech at UW-La Crosse last December . The UW System schools have invited actors, writers, musicians and even a local farmer to speak to students, each with a varying price tag to taxpayers.
What is noticeably absent in the top paid speakers to the UW System were individuals with conservative, political or social, perspectives. Within the top 50 taxpayer-funded guest speakers, we identified less than a handful of conservatives. Sure, there could be a plethora of conservatives who refused to accept any honoraria, but I doubt it.
The data suggests that when UW System officials look to invest in an invited guest, more times than not, they’re looking for a liberal-minded individual to disperse information to the young, developing minds who pay them thousands of dollars for their education.
Intellectual diversity should be a top priority on every college campus. Every view should be present, analyzed and discussed. However, we continue to see unsettling headlines around our country, “A Majority of Colleges Restrict Free Speech” and “Faculty Member Facing Loss of Tenure for Opinions on Blog.” I’m pleased that the Board of Regents understands the need to protect the principle of free speech. But there can’t be a debate when diverse perspectives aren’t present. As our universities around the country grapple with today’s politically correct culture,
I challenge the UW System this school year to find more ways, beyond a two-page policy statement, to ensure that all perspectives, including conservative ones, are present in the classroom.
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