Students for Academic Freedom @ ASU's West campus

Author ignites debate at West
Writer, political analyst proclaims liberal domination in universities
by Jayme Cook @ The West Expess // April 4, 2005

“To be a great nation we cannot fill our children's heads with trash,” proclaimed Dr. Jim Nelson Black told more than 100 students, faculty and community members Tuesday, March 29th in La Sala A.

Black's lecture was based on his book, Freefall of the American University: How Our Colleges Are Corrupting the Minds and Morals of the Next Generation . He participated in a question and answer session with attendees afterward. Dr. Black's lecture was met with both praise and criticism at ASU's west campus.


Black's book contends that “Sixties-style radicalism still dominates university lecture halls,” and that “Our classrooms have become outposts of anti-Americanism,” and that “promiscuity is exposing students to potentially deadly STDs.” Black based his conclusions educational statistics and on interviews with American professors and students from schools of prestige, such as Harvard. His goal was to discover and highlight concerns about academic decline.

The majority of Black's lecture focused on the ratio of conservative professors in American colleges versus the ratio of liberal ones. He provided statistics from a recent Washington Post article that averred 72 percent of college professors were liberal and only 15 percent conservative.

When West student Kris Kasey asked Black if conservatives were in fact applying for these positions, Black agreed that they may not be but this was because conservatives did not believe that they could be hired into heavily liberal environments.

Students for Academic Freedom (SAF) sponsored the lecture and SAF President Kevin Smith said he felt the event was a success. “We just want to make sure that conservatives have the opportunity to be given a voice. Dr. Black's findings concur with SAF's findings in that it has become clear the Right is being denied that voice.”

Others agree with Smith. Channon, a West community member stated, “Academic freedom is always an issue and knowing that there are people willing to stand up and do something about it is a wonderful thing.”

Still, others expressed concern toward Black's lecture. ASU at Tempe student, Autumn, felt that Black's standing on certain issues, particularly concerning his condemnation of the current, standard college requirement of multicultural courses versus more traditional courses such as history that are not required, were off base.

“How can one strike a free flow of ideas and balance without incorporating multiculturalism?” she asked.

Smith believes that Black's lecture offered West campus an opportunity to hear a point of view not frequently voiced in the classroom environment, that it provided a balance to more liberal events hosted on campus, and that the subject matter exhibits pertinence to all American college students.

“It was a forum for students to hear a perspective that they may not have heard before. It was a chance for students to see that the $2,000 plus they spend on tuition at ASU West each semester may not be producing the education they deserve.” he stated.

Though the event seemed to predominately draw in conservatives, many liberals attended to hear the other side.

The aftermath of Black's lecture brought both grins and grimaces from audience members as they filed out of La Sala, leaving much to be debated and discussed.