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NEWS
| October 30, 2003
Student Life
Saxe: Bring opinions to classes
The associate professor says classrooms
should be a haven for student and teacher opinion.
By Lisa
Evans
Contributor to The Shorthorn
A group of about 40 students and faculty gathered Wednesday to discuss
whether professors should share their opinions on controversial
topics with students.
The forum assessed the importance placed on professors’ views
on issues such as birth control, school prayer and business ethics.
Allan Saxe, political science associate professor, said it is OK
for professors to give their opinions.
“Professors should profess something,” Dr. Saxe said.
“That is the whole idea.”
Saxe taught a civil liberties class and told his students that court
cases were more than words. These cases were living and breathing,
he said. He said he tried to bring in both sides of important cases.
The cases concerned birth control and prayer in school.
“Students should be aware that the class is open to discussion
and understand that students will not be penalized for their views,”
Saxe said.
He said the university is very open to his teaching style. The general
consensus of professors and students in the forum said it’s
OK to give an opinion while lecturing. An open forum is the best
situation for students to express opinions, he said, and should
understand it won’t affect their grade.
Sociology graduate student Kenneth Roundtree wants to hear his professor’s
opinions.
“It’s inspiring to see professors have an opinion,”
he said. “It is inspiring when they stand up and speak up
about an issue.”
Nursing Assistant Dean Josie O’Quinn said studying health
care brings up issues that hit close to home.
“We want professors to know about both sides of issues and
be open to student opinion,” she said.
David Diltz, finance and real estate chairman, said being fair is
important when ethical issues come up in his department.
“My casual observation in business is they are more conservative
than other departments,” he said.
Lawrence Holder, computer science and engineering associate professor,
said professors should be able to express their opinions.
“Personality is great in the classroom as long as it isn’t
annoying,” he said. “It stimulates serious thoughts.”
Jim Cornehls, urban and public affairs professor, said the classroom
should foster discussion about controversial subjects.
“Students come to the university for guidance,” he said.
“But if they want conservative views, I depend that they will
get it from other professors than me.”
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| Allan
Saxe, political science associate professor,
says “professors should profess something.
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