Academic freedom.

A community college instructor in North Carolina was suspended from Rowan-Cararrus Community College for showing Fahrenheit 911 in class a week before the election. The administration said the board of trustees had a clear policy of nonpartisanship regarding political issues. In addition, the administration said the instructor also needed to present a film with an opposing view (Boston Globe, November 20, 2004).

A professor, recently selected by Southern Utah University's students as professor of the year, was fired for what his supporters say had to do with his liberal political views. To read an article in the student newspaper, see www.onlyinutah.org (The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 17, 2004).

The www.progressiveteachers.org blog posted an editorial by a professor attacked by right wing students on the grounds of "academic freedom." The case is an example of what many teachers are facing nationwide as the right wing turns its attention on academics. If you are interested in writing an editorial for this blog, write [e-mail].

Three recent cases show right wing students flipping the academic freedom debate. At the University of North Carolina, three students sue over a reading assignment they found offensive to their Christian faith. In Indiana and Colorado, students allege left-wing bias and send faculty hate mail, make up mock "wanted" posters, and even offer death threats. At Columbia University, a documentary alleges that professors intimidate students who support Israel. Leading this movement is Students for Academic Freedom, with 135 chapters and close ties with David Horowitz (www.commondreams.org, December 28, 2004).

The American Association of University Professors published a statement criticizing David Horowitz's conservative Academic Bill of Rights. For the full text of the statement, write AAUP, 1012 Fourteenth St., NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20005; or call 202-737-5900; or fax [phone]; or visit [e-mail].