THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM ABANDONING THE MIDDLE CLASS JOHN MCADAMS he University of 2. Nearly 60% Wisconsin sys- said they thought T tem, providing UW campuses don't an inexpensive, heavi- think they have to ly taxpayer-subsidized watch their dollars college education has, like the rest of us. since it first opened its 3. More than doors in 1850, had as 70% said they its core constituency thought UW cam- the state’s middle class puses spend too families. Although much money on there have been many things they don't heartening examples need instead of con- of upward mobility in centrating on edu- American society, the cating students. simple fact is that poor families are, and have 4. Almost 75% always been, unlikely said they could not to send their children afford to send their to college. And rich families have had little child to a UW System school without the 1 trouble affording expensive private college aid of scholarships, grants or loans. tuition. That leaves the solid middle class— University of Wisconsin administrators families that can provide a good elementary interpreted these results as showing that more and secondary education for their children, and effort needs to be made to improve the image that value education as well as families that of the system. The idea that the public might would flinch at the cost of a private college be right and that some radical reforms are nec- (especially in the era before Federal financial essary apparently has never crossed their aid). The system has been a godsend to them. minds. Yet the Wisconsin middle class appears to Events since can hardly have improved the have lost confidence in the system. In a secret system’s image. The University of Wisconsin study done last fall, which eventually got system has faced a steady drumbeat of bad leaked to the media, it was revealed that publicity in the past year. among Wisconsin residents: 1. Nearly 70% of respondents said they thought UW campuses have more admin- istrators than they need. John McAdams is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Marquette University. Wisconsin Interest 7 Academic Incompetence: Hiring a 9/11 U.S. mic freedom to teach as they see fit. But Government Conspiracy Theorist not everyone deserves to be a university teacher, and not everyone can be trusted It’s an old tradition in America for conser- with the privilege of academic freedom. vative parents to send their children off to be UW needs to tighten up its hiring practices, indoctrinated by liberal and leftist college fac- and it needs to take the hiring of adjunct ulty. Indeed, middle class parents have been lecturers just as seriously as it takes the hir- fairly tolerant (perhaps too tolerant) of this. ing of tenure-track teachers. Otherwise, it fails the student—and the taxpayer—in a But what are we to think when the UW fundamental obligation to ensure that system hires someone with such extreme those it allows into the classroom are legiti- views that very few of a liberal, left-leaning mately there. faculty agree with them? We are talking, of Alright. Fine. They blundered and then course, about one Kevin Barrett, who is cur- refused to correct the blunder because that rently teaching a course in the History of Islam would infringe on academic freedom. at the Madison campus. Barrett believes that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were the work of the But unfortunately, the university turns out U.S. government. He believes that reporter to be less protective of academic freedom than Daniel Pearle was killed by our own CIA originally claimed. Only a few days after UW- because . he was getting too close to the Madison announced that Barrett was free to truth of 9/11. He believes that videos of cap- teach, Provost Patrick Farrell sent him a letter tives supposedly being killed by terrorists telling him to quit seeking publicity for him- 5 have actually been faked by a psychological self. According to the Associated Press: warfare unit linked to Mossad and Western I was trying to be fairly careful to not intelligence. He believes that the U.S. govern- inhibit his privilege of speaking freely, ment was behind the Oklahoma City bombing. Farrell said. My point was that he should He asserts that it is Vice President Cheney who be aware as he exercises those rights there is the most likely 9/11 suspect to find himself may be a time when I have to rethink the hanged for treason within the next year.2 assurances he has given me about his abili- ty to separate his opinions from what hap- To say that Barrett is controversial would pens in the classroom. be an understatement. Not only has Those assurances, of course, were what Republican Gubernatorial candidate Mark persuaded Farrell to allow Barrett to teach. Green called for him to be fired, so has Democratic Governor Jim Doyle and the Further, Barrett was warned not to associ- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.3 The UW system ate his name with the university. Again, he has insisted that he will not be fired, citing aca- wrote in the letter, obtained by The Associated demic freedom.4 If that was all there was to the Press in an open records request: issue, the UW system would be on firm In summary, if you continue to identify ground. yourself with UW-Madison in your personal The problem is that Barrett only has acade- political messages or illustrate an inability to mic freedom because UW-Madison gave it to control your interest in publicity for your ideas, I would lose confidence. him by hiring him. The university, to use the now-hackneyed analogies, did something Of course, all professors identify them- equivalent to hiring a Holocaust denier to selves with the institutions where they teach. teach Jewish history, or a flat-earther to teach Traditional canons of academic freedom geography. As the American Council of put some limits on what professors can say in Trustees and Alumni put it: the classroom; they are theoretically not free to The problem here is not academic freedom indoctrinate students nor to convey factually itself. The problem is sloppy hiring. All incorrect material—although as a practical university teachers should have the acade- 8 Fall 2006 matter they get away with a good deal of both. we would expect of an unwritten policy, and But outside the classroom professors have an Christians could reasonably suspect that a almost unlimited right to express their opin- Christian Bible study would raise concerns ions.6 among campus bureaucrats that (say) a meet- ing of the Gay/Straight Alliance would not. But UW-Madison has turned this situation on its head, fully protecting Barrett in the Refusing to Fund a Catholic Organization in classroom, and trying to shut up his public Madison statements under penalty of having Farrell lose Another hubbub resulted when the UW confidence in him. This means fire him. Roman Catholic Foundation, in Madison, Hostility Toward Christianity asked the university for $200,000 from student activity fee money, to cover a variety of The majority of Wisconsin families identify expenses. The Foundation serves Catholics themselves as Christian. A June 2006 poll from (and sometimes non-Catholics) among the stu- the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute found dent body. In 2003-2004 the Foundation had 47% of Wisconsites saying they are Protestants gotten $44,000, and in 2004-2005 it had gotten and 31% saying they are $88,000. Yet the request Catholic.7 Going beyond was rejected, on the mere identification, 39% grounds that student fees of Wisconsinites report should not be used to going to church once a support religious activi- week or more, and anoth- Traditionally the state ties.13 er 17% report going to church once or twice a system has exercised a Refusing to Recognize the month.8 Traditionally the Knights of Columbus state system has exercised sort of benign neutrality Finally, just this past a sort of benign neutrality toward religion on its August the Madison cam- toward religion on its pus announced that it is campuses. But recently a campuses. refusing to recognize the series of conflicts has Knights of Columbus, arisen. which has been a recog- Dormitory Bible Studies in nized student organiza- La Crosse tion there for over 30 years. The supposed reason: the Knights of Late last year, a controversy arose over the Columbus violates the schools nondiscrimina- policy of UW-Eau Claire, which forbid tion policy, since only male Catholics can be Resident Assistants (RAs) in dorms from hold- members.14 ing Bible studies in their rooms. The claim was that Resident Assistants might exercise undue The Motivation pressure9 over students for whom they are The recent crackdown on Christian organi- responsible. In the institution’s defense, it zations is a reversal of prior policy. With claimed an even-handed unwritten policy ban- regard to Bible studies at UW-Eau Claire, it’s a ning political, religious and sales events in reversal of previously accepted informal prac- dorms.10 But the Resident Assistant who chose tice. With regard to the Knights of Columbus, to make an issue of this complained that the it’s the reversal of a policy that has existed for rule was not uniformly enforced.11 And indeed a generation. With funding for the Roman the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel found students Catholic Foundation, it’s a reversal of a prac- at UW-Eau Claire reporting that Bible studies tice accepted for two years. led by RAs have been prevalent for years.12 This kind of inconsistent enforcement is what The claim, in these cases, is that govern- ment should not violate the separation of Wisconsin Interest 9 church and state and should not establish reli- the reputation as a place where Christian stu- gion and should not allow discrimination.