Great news. Some time ago I posted on The Corner about efforts by University of California president Richard Atkinson (the same fellow who got the College Board to gut the SAT) to revise the University of California’s code of academic freedom. Atkinson’s goal was to eliminate the provisions that insure student freedom from political pressure by professors. It was predicted that Atkinson’s revision would easily sail through the university’s Academic Senate. But thanks in great part to e-mail protests from Corner readers, and above all to the tireless campaign of Luann Wright, the founder of NoIndoctrination.org, the proposal was sent back for a review that will probably take a year. There may still be a serious fight ahead, but this is definitely a defeat for campus political correctness.
For accounts of the battle over the University of California code of academic freedom, go here. http://noindoctrination.org/index.shtml For an exchange between Luann Wright and a U.C. administrator stung by NRO e-mails, go here. http://noindoctrination.org/uc_update.shtml Luann Wright created NoIndoctrination.org after her son was subjected to egregious political bias in his classes at the University of California, San Diego. Wright’s site is a remarkable and successful example of one courageous parent fighting back against a corrupt university system–and winning. To read more about the site and about Luann Wright’s battle, see my piece, “Students Fight Back.”
The success of NoIndoctrination.org is getting expensive. Wright is receiving a lot of web traffic now, especially as a result of publicity over the battle on the academic freedom statement. Wright has to upgrade her server capabilities, pay for non-profit insurance, research material, advertising, and a whole lot of stuff that a private individual cannot easily afford. To make a tax deductible contribution to NoIndoctrination.org, click here. And thanks again to Corner readers for the protest e-mails that won this fight.