Speak truth, not facts

By: Ali Boyd

Posted: 11/13/09

Professors are missing their chance: they are not harnessing the curiosity of the Bob Dylan fans, the Che following that arms itself with posters and t-shirts or the students who wrote about "life changing experiences" in their college application essays. The Princeton Review ranks Furman as number nine out of the ten most conservative campuses, but student-driven dialogue is being sparked from both the right and the left. So why do faculty and administration remain silent? Professors should have the freedom to harness the energy of the students to catalyze a love of learning, not to perpetuate politically correct curriculum.

From the Civil Rights movement to recent protests in Iran, echoes of the student voice remains powerful. As we reflect on the Nov. 10 anniversary of the Berlin Wall collapse, all of us should feel the weight and responsibility of critically engaging our reality. Our academic coursework should bleed into reality spurred by our professors. As a political science major, I was surprised that the decision was made no longer to forward any "political messages, petitions, announcements of protest, etc" to majors. The department had to change its policy, which had served to expose students to a variety of views, after a reaction to an email regarding China. If a department must remain neutral and censor the "market place of ideas," how can students place confidence in its example?

Professors do not need to be charging a federal base to teach students the "ultimate lesson," but they should encourage and stimulate critical discussion around significant societal problems. Father Louis Barrios, chair of the department of Latin America & Latina/o studies at John Jay College and an associate priest, offers a strong example of teacher involvement. He "crossed the line" at Fort Benning and was consequently arrested for his actions against the policy condoned by the School of the Americas. He realized he could not teach and preach honesty if it were not married to direct action.

Once again, the weekend of Nov. 20-22 will witness the largest nonviolent social movement in the country today - the mobilization against the School of the Americas and the foreign policy it espoused. The Furman student attendance has increased six fold since last year. Students who were exposed to areas affected by the School of the Americas (WHINSEC) graduates, such as the massacre site of El Mozote, have applied their experiential learning once back on campus. They have organized CLPs on nonviolence training, hosted a panel, and encouraged students to attend the protest.

As students organize around one of our generation's causes, faculty support should mirror student involvement. In short, Furman should support "engaged learning" to its ultimate end and, in the institution's own words, "encourage students and faculty to confront the problems of contemporary society." If exposure is denied in an academic setting, why am I investing time into a manipulated academic environment? Ideally, a teacher's vocation should saturate every part of his or her life, not simply burden students with the regurgitation of facts.