Bill Could restrict professors
Bill Rodgers
Issue date: 2/3/05 Section: pageone
The bill has many critics, including the American Association of University Professors, which recently released a statement condemning the bill. While the group says they agree with academic neutrality and diversity, they claim the bill "infringes on academic freedom in the very act of purporting to protect it."
"The danger of such guidelines is that they invite diversity to be measured by political standards that diverge from the academic criteria of the scholarly profession," the statement said.
State Sen. Bob Hagan (D-33) also spoke out against the bill, calling it "embarrassing" and "a slap in the face" for the freedoms of speech and expression.
"I'm outraged in the highest sense," Hagan said. "Who will they have in the classroom monitoring all of these 'controversial issues?'"
Hagan added: "I hope people are paying attention to their legislators. These are the ones they voted in for their 'moral values.'"
Critics of the proposed legislation also include YSU faculty and administration members. YSU President David Sweet is one of them.
"To say the least, I'm shocked to see the details this legislation would put in force," Sweet said.
The university president said there were already venues in place to help students who felt intimidated by their professors. Sweet said students could take any complaints they had to a department chair or an ombudsperson.
"Our ombudsperson is very effective in resolving student concerns," Sweet said.
K.J. Satrum is YSU's ombudsperson. Satrum said her job is to make sure student concerns are heard and dealt with. However, Satrum said she had never had a student approach her with a problem about a professor's personal viewpoints.
YSU Professor of ethics Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez proposed a resolution that he presented to YSU's Academic Senate yesterday. The proposed resolution condemns the "academic bill of rights."
"Senate Bill 24, although called an 'academic bill of rights' is actually a bill of restrictions, none of which is necessary, and none of which is in furtherance of the aims of higher education in this or any state," Palmer's resolution reads.
"The danger of such guidelines is that they invite diversity to be measured by political standards that diverge from the academic criteria of the scholarly profession," the statement said.
State Sen. Bob Hagan (D-33) also spoke out against the bill, calling it "embarrassing" and "a slap in the face" for the freedoms of speech and expression.
"I'm outraged in the highest sense," Hagan said. "Who will they have in the classroom monitoring all of these 'controversial issues?'"
Hagan added: "I hope people are paying attention to their legislators. These are the ones they voted in for their 'moral values.'"
Critics of the proposed legislation also include YSU faculty and administration members. YSU President David Sweet is one of them.
"To say the least, I'm shocked to see the details this legislation would put in force," Sweet said.
The university president said there were already venues in place to help students who felt intimidated by their professors. Sweet said students could take any complaints they had to a department chair or an ombudsperson.
"Our ombudsperson is very effective in resolving student concerns," Sweet said.
K.J. Satrum is YSU's ombudsperson. Satrum said her job is to make sure student concerns are heard and dealt with. However, Satrum said she had never had a student approach her with a problem about a professor's personal viewpoints.
YSU Professor of ethics Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez proposed a resolution that he presented to YSU's Academic Senate yesterday. The proposed resolution condemns the "academic bill of rights."
"Senate Bill 24, although called an 'academic bill of rights' is actually a bill of restrictions, none of which is necessary, and none of which is in furtherance of the aims of higher education in this or any state," Palmer's resolution reads.