Horowitz on academic freedom at LU 11/15/07

After narrowly escaping a pie attack at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., author and activist David Horowitz came to Loyola on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Horowitz began his speech by recounting the attempted pieing, referring to the two "large women" who threw a pie at him while he was being interviewed. Instead, the pie hit Horowitz's bodyguard and the two women were arrested.

After drawing a few laughs from the crowd, Horowitz delved into a discussion about his beliefs in academic freedom and the Student Bill of Rights, a campaign he began in spring 2003.

"You can't get a good education if they're only telling you half the story," Horowitz said.

He suggested that the programs of women's studies and peace studies at Loyola are indoctrination programs that don't teach different perspectives of the issues they claim to be studying.

"Women's studies is not an academic discipline," Horowitz said. "Not because the study of women is not a legitimate study, but because women's studies programs in this country are political programs of indoctrination. Students in these courses are not taught how to think, but what to think."

In response to Horowitz's statements, Dr. Bren Murphy, head of Loyola's women's studies department, said, "I don't think [Horowitz] knows what he's talking about. Feminist pedagogy's defining aspect is trying to be more collaborative in the classroom, to interact instead of just impart information. If anything, it is the opposite of indoctrination."

Horowitz continued, saying later in his speech that the country is not represented fairly or realistically in many liberal arts programs.

"It's idiotic to call America a racist society and that is what peace studies, women's studies and many other studies at this school are calling America," Horowitz said. "Nobody is oppressed in America."

Horowitz vowed to return to campus to debate any faculty member who believes differently.

Later in his speech, Horowitz recounted a Loyola student's complaint about a Michael Moore film being shown in her required College Writing Seminar.

"How do you learn to write by watching that fat liar on a screen?" Horowitz shouted as the crowd chuckled at the description of the controversial filmmaker.

Sophomore Amanda Pomrenke said before the event that she had personally experienced teachers treating conservative students differently.

"My papers were graded more on my opinion than their actual content," Pomrenke said. "I would write pro-military, pro-conservative papers. [My professor] would write things like 'this is wrong'"

Horowitz also critiqued the teaching and advocacy of social justice by professors at Loyola.

"How many of you learn in your classes the role that personal, individual dysfunction plays in making people poor?" Horowitz asked. "I am mad for your sake that you don't get the other side."

Students posed questions about how to further academic freedom at Loyola. Horowitz encouraged these students to form a nonpartisan group.

"As a student, why would you not want to have an unbiased education?" sophomore Jon Dandurand said. "Liberal students would be very stupid not to be a part of it. Every student should expect a well-balanced education."

Junior Alana Kinarsky countered Horowitz's opinions about the social justice and peace studies programs at Loyola.

"It's hard to disagree with what he's saying about academic freedom," Kinarsky said. "But the examples he used and [how] he expressed his beliefs about academics being ignorant and biased was highly unsupported."

One of the few professors who attended the lecture was Dr. Wiley Feinstein, of the modern languages department.

"The critique wasn't very successful because he didn't have specific facts," Feinstein said after the event. "Personally, though, I'd like to see professors who acknowledge their bias and make an effort to present critiques of that bias."

Sophomore Justine Perry also noticed Loyola professors' low attendance.

"I think it represents how little academic freedom we have that professors wouldn't even show up to listen to [Horowitz] speak about it," Perry said.

Senior Laszlo Varju, president of the College Republicans, expressed disappointment at the turnout of about 75 people. Varju along with a number of other College Republicans, claimed that the posters advertising Horowitz's visit were torn down, so they believe many students may not have known about the event. However, Varju was pleased overall with the event.

"Mr. Horowitz discussed a lot of points that are very relevant at Loyola," he said.