Last year, LSU Law professor Ken Levy attracted the ire of Gov. Jeff Landry, and, by extension, the wrath of the state government, when he made profanity-laced comments in class about Landry and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Levy was suspended from teaching, sparking a court case that ultimately resulted in the 1st U.S Circuit Court of Appeals upholding his suspension.
The case is part of a broader move nationally against well-established university policies protecting academic freedom by primarily Republican administrations.
This national push made it somewhat surprising when the Louisiana House near-unanimously passed a House Bill 1008, introduced by a Republican, that proclaimed to protect professors from retribution for research, class subjects and comments outside of the classroom.
While the bill’s intentions are admirable, the final version sent to the Senate was functionally stripped down into oblivion, with amendments that required repayment to professors for violations and the insertion of a vague clause against “demeaning” language or conduct ahead of the final vote.
Half-measures like HB 1008 do not serve the needs of academics in this state, and if Louisiana wants to stem its well-documented brain drain, the legislature must pass effective laws that protect professorial speech.
Tenure in the United States has its roots in the early 20th century. For decades, university trustees held immense, unchecked power over the employment of professors, though many universities practiced an informal tenure system through voluntary reluctance.
Eventually, however, a number of high-profile cases regarding academic freedom led to the founding of the American Association of University Professors, or AAUP, whose 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure is regarded as the foundation of academic tenure policy in America.
However, the practical effectiveness of academic freedom policies in this nation has always been somewhat flawed. Throughout the Cold War, regardless of tenure, professors were subject to McCarthyist loyalty oaths and faced censorship and firing for engaging with and expressing views perceived as excessively radical.
This resulted in a chilling effect across academia, lasting until the double-whammy Civil Rights Movement and anti-Vietnam War movement, both of which contained integral student movements under their umbrellas, re-opened discussion of radical ideas.
We cannot allow ourselves to return to the oppressive academic culture of the McCarthy years. Universities have always been, and should always be, incubation chambers for new ideas, regardless of how challenging they may be to conventions.
This is a principle that even most conservatives will agree with when asked. For years, many on the right have decried perceived attacks on free speech at “liberal” colleges, with some claiming that right-wing ideas have faced the same self-censorship effect that the aforementioned leftist professors faced during the McCarthy era.
However, now that they control the reins of power, culture warriors like Landry have leveraged their positions to impose their will over professors who express views that offend their sensibilities.
LSU has been attempting to position itself as one of the premier universities in the South for some time. Every year, there’s a new academic program, building or other juicy incentive announced in the effort to keep our brightest here and import great minds from elsewhere.
However, university success stems from the roots laid by its professors. For LSU to truly be a university of prestige, it must remain committed to bringing in top academic talent and giving them the space to express themselves without looming fear of retribution. Professors must be able to engage in research that may polarize and challenge established convention.
In my freshman year, I took a political science class from a self-described Reagan conservative and an honors class from a colorful-haired, liberal-leaning professor. In that time, both professors challenged me on my beliefs and prompted me to research the foundations of my ideals and think critically about them.
This is the essence of the college experience. When professors are forced to needlessly cater to comfort, they fail in their role as educators. LSU must protect the right of professors to authentically express themselves to their students. It is this ideological struggle where true learning occurs.
Gordon Crawford is a 20-year-old political science major from Gonzales.
