Fifty-five students sat down in the middle of a New York street
in support of striking graduate students at New York University. It
would have been a typical day in student activism if two prominent
professors had not sat beside them.
These professors are figureheads for much of the academic
community. The American Association of University Professors’
departing president, Jane L. Buck, and its president-elect, Cary
Nelson, exhibited a type of political activism that is becoming
less and less common among professors.
“In my mind’s eye,” Nelson told The Chronicle
of Higher Education, “I can see some of my colleagues
fainting dead away at the thought of Jane and I being carried away
in a paddy wagon.”
It’s no surprise that Buck was the first president of the
association to be arrested during a protest. College professors are
being given all sorts of reasons to steer clear of any sort of
activism or expression of political opinion.
But the criticism expected after this public display is exactly
the problem. When American professors feel the piercing scrutiny of
their own students, often through Web sites such as UCLAProfs.com,
it’s no wonder many have to think twice before making their
views publicly known.
More and more, professors are being expected to shut up and
teach. There is a growing number of people who believe academic
figures should shy away from sharing their political opinion for
fear of creating an unbalanced learning environment. Some students
are complaining that political bias is eroding the foundation for
learning, and administrations are in the business of avoiding
controversy.
All in all, political activism among professors is becoming a
thing of the past.
There is a real concern that publicly expressing political
jargon and demagoguery will devalue a professor’s authority
in class and marginalize the college lecture hall. This is a
legitimate concern, but there must be a distinction made between
frivolous ranting and thoughtful engagement in explosive
issues.
Yes, a professor’s job is to present their students the
material in a fair and honest fashion. But expressing personal
opinion and covering classroom curriculum appropriately and
responsibly do not have to be mutually exclusive in academia, as
long as professors maintain a high standard.
Professors are responsible for guiding students and teaching
them how to think critically for themselves. How can we expect them
to teach us this tenet of higher education if we don’t allow
them to express their own critiques?
Academia has become increasingly insular. There is a growing
preference for the image of the objective college professor who
will betray no opinion throughout the 10 weeks of class, who might
cloak their opinions in ambiguity during office hours in front of a
handful of students.
This is not the kind of role we should want for the leading
minds in critical thought.
Professors shouldn’t be discouraged by the general public
from taking action. They should have the option to get out of the
classroom and take positions with a level of depth that is rarely
expressed by politicians or celebrities.