<p>I beleive we must clearly define LIBERAL college – There are many schools with the large amount of professors & admin as being LIBERAL, but with the student body filled with kids of staunch Republicans who hold the same values & views of their families – Are these schools LIBERAL?</p>
<p>[Last</a> Year’s 12 Most Ridiculous College Classes | College Is For Suckers](<a href=“http://collegeisforsuckers.com/2007/01/last-years-12-most-ridiculous-college-classes/]Last”>http://collegeisforsuckers.com/2007/01/last-years-12-most-ridiculous-college-classes/)</p>
<p>The Course Catalog is always a good place to start. </p>
<p>Next place to look: The school newspaper. Is the conversation on the Opinion page civil? Is it diverse in the opinions represented? I also recommend you take a look at the level of writing ability. I just picked up a copy of the newspaper on our last college visit. I could not believe that what I was seeing. Unsubstantiated, rambling, cliche’ and in dire need of a red pen.</p>
<p>1) College Name
SUNY New Paltz</p>
<p>2) Your reason(s) for calling it “Liberal”
creative and unconventional student body, gay friendly, all types accepted and represented</p>
<p>3) Your source of information (first-hand experience as a student or parent? friend of current student or alum? etc.)
first hand experience as parent of student</p>
<p>Anyone know about liberal colleges in Connecticut and Rhode Island? And what makes them liberal? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Actually, I did watch the video, and there was a piece of the video that I think has merit. I think that God created liberals and conservatives for different purposes. He wanted us to have both the pragmatic and an idealistic perspectives. We need the idealists to point out injustice. We need the pragmatists to develop the plans for tackling the injustice and to fund the solutions.</p>
<p>jd1018: </p>
<p>Yale has <em>a</em> liberal population, but I wouldn’t call them strictly liberal. Wesleyan has a larger liberal population, Connecticut College has a liberal population, I believe Quinnipac is also supposed to be liberal.</p>
<p>Debrockman:</p>
<p>"Actually, I did watch the video, and there was a piece of the video that I think has merit. I think that God created liberals and conservatives for different purposes. He wanted us to have both the pragmatic and an idealistic perspectives. We need the idealists to point out injustice. We need the pragmatists to develop the plans for tackling the injustice and to fund the solutions. "</p>
<p>So then, if you seem to believe lack of acceptance of conservatives is unjust and unfair, does that not make you some sort of liberal in this case? You’ve put forth no solution to ‘tackle the injustice’ just point out that there is a general tilt towards the left in academia. [You are assuming, of course, that a bias/tilt is indeed unjust, so let’s continue with that premise.] It’s not as if students are required to mark their political outlook, or even have one on applications…so…</p>
<p>Then what?</p>
<p>Interesting that you look at marketing brochures to determine your perspective about schools and I look at a campus visit walk around. Another testament to my theories about idealism and realism as they relate to liberals and conservatives.</p>
<p>Uh…that’s a straw man if I ever saw one. I chose marketing brochures because 1.) I haven’t visited all these schools, and 2.) the internet is much quicker than flying out to refresh my memory and 3.) The idea was to illustrate how a school’s marketing and MISSION STATEMENTS or Philosophy might attract certain parties. </p>
<p>That has nothing to do with idealism OR realism. Nor is this entirely MY perspective about these schools. </p>
<p>I’ll let <em>you</em> try again this time.</p>
<p>You didn’t answer my question. :)</p>
<p>I have no idea if these are on here but</p>
<p>The University of Oregon</p>
<p>Very open minded people and town.</p>
<p>Source: I’ve lived next to the campus my whole life, and my cousin’s girlfriend goes to Oregon after living in San Jose CA, and says it’s really open minded.</p>
<p>So.</p>
<p>School: Earlham College</p>
<p>Reason: Run on Quaker principles of social justice, service, tolerance. The Quakers were big players in the Underground Railroad, among other things. The school is very international, both in its student body/faculty and its curriculum, and intentionally diverse. There is a Democrats Club, but not a Republicans Club (this is not Earlham’s decision; clubs are convened by students, so apparently there isn’t much interest).</p>
<p>Me: Parent of current student.</p>
<p>School: Boston University
Reason: Well, its in Boston, first of all. School is very gay-friendly and there’s an 18% Jewish population, many of whom tend to have a liberal bent.<br>
Source: My daughter, who has told me time and again how liberal it is and loves it, coming from conservative Orange County, CA</p>
<p>All of the top schools are “liberal”, its just a matter of degree. The southern state schools will be less than their New England/California counterparts. Truly conservative schools would be the Liberty’s and Bob Jones’s of the world.</p>
<p>swish14 - intellectually not factual. All the top schools? BYU? Vanderbilt? Hillsdale? U of Va? William and Mary? You need to take a look at how “top schools” are defined. They are defined by professors, 85% of whom are liberal. Student statistics are only a small percentage of the ratings. Conservative schools are becoming more and more selective because smart conservative kids are working very hard to go to those schools. There are too few of them. The Ivy League schools are still full, but the LACs are struggling to fill their classes and their student statistics are in decline. If I get one more brochure from Carleton, Swarthmore or Williams for my National Merit son, I’m going to be ill. They are overpriced and overblown.</p>
<p>My son focused on schools that put the “liberal” into liberal arts. Based on our campus visits and information sessions, I would categorize these schools as liberal. Here are just a few indicators:
Pitzer - laid back vibe, student-run organic garden, Grove House, sustainability initiatives (dry landscaping), GLBT friendly
Lewis & Clark - sustainability, GLBT friendly, “gender-neutral” housing option, Portland, diverse, “crunchy” student body
Whitman - intellectual liberals (e.g. course in “Alternative Voices”), green, importance of diversity (essay topic), GLBT friendly.
Clark University - laid back (but engaged) students, innovative curriculum programs with social justice emphasis, GLBT friendly.</p>
<p>When we visited Claremont McKenna, the admissions officer showed a very interesting graph about the political characteristics of the student body. They are very balanced between self-identified liberals and conservatives (symmetric bell-shaped distribution.).</p>
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</p>
<p>I agree 100%, and I’m sorry if I accidentally implied otherwise. 
Respect is one of the 5 Quaker values that permeates everything that Earlham does.</p>
<p>I have deleted a large number of off-topic posts.</p>
<p>Please remember the following:
- This thread is for discovering schools with a liberal campus climate.
- Discussions about politics and about the relative merits of political positions are welcomed in the [Election</a> and Politics](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe-election-politics/]Election”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe-election-politics/) subforum, but are not appropriate for this board.</p>
<p>Further off-topic posts will also be deleted.</p>
<p>Thanks,
Mollie (moderator)</p>
<p>Here’s the two I know of quite well:
- The Evergreen State College</p>
<p>2) As mentioned a lot on CC, Evergreen has a more unique system of taking classes and grading. The school focuses a lot on the environment and has a local reputation for being a good place for really liberal students.</p>
<p>3) WA resident who knows many people that went to Evergreen. At least one (who is quite liberal) left because the campus climate was too liberal.</p>
<p>1) Western Washington University</p>
<p>2) Big focus on the environment, alternative learning experiences, and a liberal student body, accepting of alternative cultures/lifestyles, lots of trees in the area.</p>
<p>3) WA resident, applied, was accepted, almost attended had I not found a school I liked even more.</p>
<p>If a student is liberal and wants to find like-minded peers, it will doubtless be easier at some colleges than others. I am well aware that my college (The University of Alabama) leans conservative and there have been issues when the campus Atheist and Agnostic group’s chalking were erased by both students and staff. That said, when a school has thousands of students, there will be many different viewpoints going around. I know intelligent people of all religions and political persuasions. I may not agree with a person on certain issues, but as long as I can have an intelligent conversation with them, I am very happy.</p>
<p>independence is a virtue in New Zealand? based on what exactly?</p>
<p>Eugene Lang College at the New School is by far the most liberal undergrad school in the United States. I don’t mean liberal as in “every-student-has-a-bleeding-heart” liberal, but rather liberal in terms of its curriculum (continental philosophy, radical European social theory, heterodox economics, rejection of traditional disciplinary boundaries), very informal professor-student relations, and ideologically radical student body. Throw in all the pot-smoking hipsters, and you have an institution that could accommodate the intellectual heirs of Gramsci.</p>
<p>eadad: The Late Senator Helms did indeed make that reprobation of UNC-Chapel Hill. But he said it before he was a politician, and I believe it was in the 60’s. He was a complicated man, but also one of the most respected and genteel on Capitol Hill. He was the FIRST Senator to welcome Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Senate in person, in her office, while he was wheel chair bound. He was the FIRST Senator to express his welcome to someone who attended UNC-Chapel Hill, was a virulent anti Vietnam War protester and anti Nixon protester…the late Senator from Minnesota who died in a plane crash. And he was the FIRST Senator to offer his heartfelt condolences on hearing of his tragic death. </p>
<p>Further, Sen. Helms didnt attend UNC-Chapel Hill. So his commentary should be taken in that light, in context for the times in which he stated it.</p>
<p>Finally, Sen. Helms (like Sen. Thurmond) employed minorities in his Senate offices in Washington and at home for decades. You may not like his point of view, but since he didnt attend UNC, your comments are only aimed at the man, not the institution.</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill is indeed one of the most liberal schools in the country and there have been some very ugly and recent problems involving conservative speakers and the treatment of conservative students and interest groups. Students have often complained at UNC that they have to hide their political views to avoid being severe grade deflation from left wing professors who proselytize openly in the classrooms.</p>
<p>A few years ago, for required reading for incoming freshmen they made them read the Koran. One can argue that is healthy for understanding what muslims (and muslim nations) think and believe, to foster cooperation and tolerance etc. But to many, it was offensive. If they required the reading of the Holy Bible, what do you think the liberals would have done? I would have left the reading of the Koran for students taking Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies, or Islamic Studies or Indonesian or perhaps African studies.</p>