Public college exists to provide students with accessible and unbiased education.
Recently, I have noticed a trend of professors at De Anza, and even my teachers back at my public high school in Stowe, Vermont, becoming more and more comfortable with hinting at or even blatantly expressing their political opinions in their lessons.
Professors hold power and authority, which comes with accountability. When a professor makes a judgmental face or comments on a political stance, a student who disagrees is discouraged from expressing their opinion.
While professors have their First Amendment rights to speak freely, it is not appropriate to stretch those rights and diminish a student’s shot at a fair, productive learning environment.
In 2021 Georgetown University defended one of its professors’ right to express controversial opinions on social media during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.
The university issued a statement affirming that as long as her comments did not “substantially affect their teaching, research, or University service,” faculty members were not subject to discipline following the remarks.
While the professor’s words did not disrupt the educational process in this case, the situation would be different if her comments were made inside the classroom.
It also benefits her defense that Georgetown is a private university where there is more leeway with legal issues concerning a professor’s freedom of speech.
Regardless of how popular or relevant a professor’s opinion on political topics may be, it will always harm the learning environment, empowering those who agree and disempowering those who disagree or don’t know what to think.
It is easy for professors to feel comfortable in a liberal state like California, where the majority of the population shares the same views, to share their personal political opinions in the classroom at De Anza College.
Considering many students will likely agree with them, they may assume that their views will be met with nods of approval, creating a false sense of consensus.
What about the silent few students who come from different backgrounds or simply hold differing opinions? Do we, as a community, want to prioritize an agenda that imposes personal beliefs on students?
In every state in the U.S., professors should not express their political opinions, whether it’s a conservative or liberal, they should leave the thinking to the students.
