Are professors too liberal?

By Erin Bang
Staff Writer

As a student, do you sometimes feel that your professors’ views are not diverse and, as a result your views and opinions may be swayed?

If you feel your professors’ views are not varied, you have good reason to think that way. Professors’ political views on William Paterson’s campus as well on college campuses throughout the country are mostly in the liberal camp.

"American universities are the exception to American exceptionalism,"

said Dr. John Mason, chairman of WPU’s political science department.

According to Mason, state colleges in the mid-1990’s had the highest percent of liberal faculty, as compared to the 19 percent of liberal Americans.

Christopher Chow writes in a recent on-line article, "A New Study Reveals Extreme Partisan Bias Among Faculty," that "a new study of the party affiliations of college professors proves to be a massive gulf between Right and Left. Liberal professors outnumber conservatives by 10 to one and sometimes by more than 20 to one on campus."

WPU senior Nazek Habatfha, who has dual majors in political science and communication, said her classes "do not have any variety in political views. However, the professors are fair regarding both sides of an issue. They want to hear students’ opinions."

Robert Bing, president of the WPUNJ Chapter of American Federation of Teachers Union and a business professor, said the WPU campus is typical.

"The majority of faculty members are libera,” he said. Liberals seem to be attracted to the teaching profession."

Bing said that he has not heard any criticism regarding the union’s support for political candidates, who, for the most part, are Democrats.

"Although the members of the union are mostly Democrats, the representative that supports higher education more efficiently is the representative that is backed by the union, despite party affiliation," he said.

Dr. Sheila Collins, a WPU political science professor, said most of the professors in her department do not consider themselves liberal. Liberals tend to follow the Democratic Party, she noted, adding that her colleagues label themselves as progressives. Progressives tend to be left of what is typically considered to be liberal.

"What professors identify with, plays a role in how they teach, but they are able to teach objectively and make students aware of both sides," she said.

Dr. Rachel Wetzsteon, an English writing professor, admits that she tries to find a happy balance between preaching her liberal views on political matters and keeping them totally hidden during class discussions.

"The former may lead to suffocation; the latter to pointless mystery,” she said. “I certainly tell students how I stand on matters like abortion, the death penalty, et cetera, if they ask me."

Wetzsteon also said that it is difficult to come to a definitive answer as to why the majority of faculty members on campuses are liberals. It could possibly be a result of their constant interaction with youth, she said.

Mason said that a committee mostly composed of progressives recently hired a young economist who does not consider himself to be a progressive.

Charles Kuftner, a reporter, recently wrote: "many (of these) liberal professors were really good at their jobs. They were good teachers who respected their student’s opinions."

March 27, 2003 Issue