Tired of feeling uncomfortable in your classrooms? Feeling likeyou can't have your own opinions because your professor willshoot you down in class or will lower your grade? If you answeredyes to either of these questions, you need to learn more aboutStudents for Academic Freedom (SAF).
SAF is a growing phenomenon throughout much of the UnitedStates. Founded by David Horowitz, SAF has been working to removeindoctrination from university classrooms. Indoctrination, putsimply, is when a professor attempts to force his ideologies onstudents through a number of practices that impair education. Asoutlined above, some professors will force their ideologies bylowering student grades when they do not fall in line with theirown, by shooting students down in class for having or supporting adifferent ideology (read as opinion or a way of thinking about anissue), and other professors purposely and consistently presentonly one side of a blatantly multi-sided topic. These issues areimportant because it stifles education, the one thing professorsare supposed to encourage and cultivate in all of theirstudents.
In some instances, SAF has been misinterpreted or misunderstoodas being a vehicle through which a professor's free speech orfree expression is to be stifled. This is not theorganization's intended purpose. There is no reason for freespeech or expression to be limited in the classroom. If professorswould engage in reasonable classroom practices such as allowingstudents to share their own opinions, encouraging discussion on theissues from multiple angles, and grading based on a student'sability to successfully illustrate an idea or argument, instead ofon his or her ideologies, there would be no need for theorganization to exist. In fact, SAF encourages freedom of speechand expression by ensuring students' rights are not stifledby unreasonable professors.
Another common misconception about SAF is that it is apolitically motivated group. This is inaccurate. SAF supportsstudent academic freedom and freedom from indoctrination, on aninfinite number of levels. If students feel there is a raciallyslanted ideology, that there is a religiously slanted ideology orany number of other ideologies that are being presented withoutacademic reason, SAF wants to hear these complaints and take issuewith these professors. SAF would work with such student groups asthe Black Students Association, Latino Students Association andother multicultural student organizations. These organizations mayhave members that have experienced indoctrination in the classroomand did not have an avenue through which to tell about it. Studentsfor Academic Freedom can be the vehicle for sharing those storiesand ensuring students are not victims of classroomindoctrination.
Some people might assume SAF only serves the purpose of aidingcollege students who are not happy with their grade or the outcomeof a class. However, SAF does not support incessant whining aboutnot receiving an expected grade, disagreeing with the way aprofessor critiques his papers or disliking a teaching style. Thisgroup adheres strictly to those cases where professors stifleeducational discourse, indirectly promote student apathy andsuppress the meaningful sharing of ideologies that differ fromtheir own. SAF intends to rid the classroom of indoctrination, notto limit freedom of speech or ideas.
Write to Brett at BAMOCK@bsu.edu
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