To the editor,
While reading Mr. Fernholz’ article “A new mold?” about the “misguided” attempts of Take Back Georgetown Day to address a lack of political diversity in the classroom, I was shocked by his statement: “Though I spoke to many attendees at TBGD, no one could cite a specific instance of academic bias, and though there were many anecdotes of Bush-bashing, professorial eye-rolling and the occasional anti-conservative polemic, no one knew of any grade discrimination.”
This statement is itself extremely troubling. This argument was once used as a way of proving that police brutality and other racially-motivated offences by police officers were nonexistent; if nobody made a complaint, there could be no investigations. I don’t think any person, especially during Black History Month, would attempt to say that such things didn’t happen.
Furthermore, this ignores the fact that anybody who attempted to make a claim for political bias in the past has been unable to. If Mr. Fernholz wants “a specific instance” of political bullying by Georgetown faculty, I can give one to him.
During the 2004 election, as it was becoming clear that the decision would be close, I was confronted by two professors while sitting in one of the academic departments. These two did not know that I am a conservative, but they began telling me how it would be a good idea to drive either to Pennsylvania or Ohio to vote (illegally) for John Kerry.
At first I thought they were kidding, but it soon became clear that they were not. Both of these rather influential professors know that I am from Massachusetts, and I was utterly shocked that these two would be urging me to commit a felony offense. One of them insisted, “You should do it. This is important. If I could get a day off of work, I would definitely go.”
At this point, I began to snicker uncontrollably. They asked me why I was laughing when they were discussing something so serious and, feeling unable to say what I actually felt, I took a humorous jab, replying that “I think it’s sad that you would base your political beliefs on your ability to get a day off from work.” At this point, both of them walked off, one of them saying only, “This is serious stuff. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
Admittedly, this is not a grade-related infraction. My GPA is still just fine and I don’t feel that these teachers are out to stop me from having a future career. At the same time, I find it abhorrent that these two distinguished and successful professors would find it acceptable to encourage their students to break federal law in order to alter the democratic-republican process that has been established in this country (before you pass judgment here, I use the lower case solely to indicate our type of government). It is unfortunate that so few conservatives on this campus are able to express their concerns with eloquence, but that should not mean that they go ignored.
Political bias on this campus has little to do with grades; rather, it has to do with a general environment that is receptive to liberal thought and shuns anything else as ‘religious,’ ‘fascist,’ ‘sexist’ or the like. When I was confronted by people pressing liberal beliefs on me, I did not feel that I could stand up to them. I had two-and-a half more years at Georgetown, and taking a stand against them was not an option because I knew that I would have class with them in the future.
If this is not suppressing free speech and thought on campus, then I suppose that using grandfather clauses and scare tactics to stop black people from voting in the South was acceptable until people began reporting it.
Those people who want to think poorly of Take Back Georgetown Day most certainly will continue to do so, but your readers should not be handed an opinion (indeed, especially as the feature for your paper) when it so clearly ignores a problem on this campus because it happens to support Mr. Fernholz’ political ideology.
After the incident I outlined above, I went online and found the bias-reporting form. I had the explanation section filled out entirely, but the form could not be completed without indicating which form of bias had occurred. There was no box to check for political bias—nothing that political bias could even be attached to. After struggling with this for a time, I realized that I could not make a report because what I had experienced was not bias as the University defined it.
I learned to accept what happened, but in no way have I been able to forgive the professors for their actions or even seek some way of having them reprimanded. Indeed, this could not be otherwise: without an accurate bias-reporting form, as far as the University is concerned, what happened to me never really happened.
Christopher Caterine (COL ‘07)
