Dear Editor,
I write in response to USM student, Jason Lavoie, who, in my opinion, missed the point in his letter to The Free Press last week, regarding what forces constitute the greatest threats to the academic freedom of students here at USM and elsewhere. The two biggest threats to the academic freedom of students are: 1.) Blocked access to education and/or inability to study due to lack of money, and 2.) Limitations on what can and cannot be discussed and studied in schools and universities, imposed by powerful outside special-interest groups.
The first threat to academic freedom is one that most USM students are familiar with, though we may not be accustomed to thinking about it as such. I believe that when anyone who is sincerely interested in pursuing an education is denied access simply because they cannot afford it, or because instead they are forced to work at low-paying jobs and/or care for children without community support: their academic freedom is being violated. A similar violation occurs when students are not able to study adequately due to the above conditions. Expensive students loans are also problematic, because they limit our freedoms after college, often tying us to unrewarding jobs that contribute to the decay of our emotional and physical health.
The second major threat comes from special interest groups. This includes corporations, police, religious and political groups, and any others who seek to prevent students from studying and making informed decisions on particular topics. Many, including myself, feel that former USM President Richard Pattenaude’s cancellation of the art exhibit “Can’t Jail the Spirit: Art by ‘Political’ Prisoner Tom Manning” last September was a violation of USM students’ academic freedom. This is because (as Roger Bowen, former head of the American Association of University Professors, pointed out in his keynote address last week) Pattenaude’s decision was made in an atmosphere of intense, organized pressure from various police organizations and other special interest groups.
In this case, USM students and the greater Portland community were denied a forum in which to have an informed, educational discussion on the important questions raised by the art show. These questions include: How do we define the term “political prisoner?” Are there political prisoners in the US? And what are the relationships between violence, the state, and movements for social change? We were all denied an opportunity to learn about this crucial issue because of pressure put on USM from entities whose primary agendas where not concerned with ensuring the quality and intellectual diversity of our education.
In his letter last week (“Academic Freedom: What is taught in the classroom has its limits) Jason Lavoie expressed his concern that “there currently is no uniform policy for what is and what is not taught in our classrooms.” Lavoie’s main argument was that supposed “liberal indoctrination” is a significant problem on college campuses, and that this tendency violates the “academic freedom” of conservative students. Lavoie brings up a good point in regards to the power of professors, but his claims of the persecution as a conservative student are dubious, mainly because they are not backed up by any evidence or examples.
Roger Bowen, in his speech last week, had some ideas for addressing the credibility and quality of professors’ teaching. He cited the effectiveness of the peer-review process, while also calling for more co-teaching, interdisciplinary teaching, and student review as further means for preventing professors from misusing the power they have over students. While these suggestions may not be perfect, I believe that they are a good starting point for action and further discussion on this issue. These efforts are also an alternative to the right-wing, and potentially authoritarian “Academic Bill of Rights” promoted by Lavoie.
Thank you Jason Lavoie for contributing to this important discussion-I hope that it will continue with many more voices participating.
For the Gloria Duclos Convocation on Academic Freedom event listing, please visit: http://usm.maine.edu/%7Ehistory/coneventsfall.html. The Convocation committee is still welcoming student proposals for events in the 2008 spring semester.
Daniel Chard
Daniel Chard is a USM senior majoring in history, and a member of the Academic Freedom Convocation steering committee.