<p>Welcome to College Confidential, John. Isn’t it a lovely place? ;)</p>
<p>Regarding your original question, I would suggest including some STEM colleges in your review – that’s an area we didn’t find in your last edition of CTRC. Among those, my son’s college, Harvey Mudd (adjacent to Claremont Mckenna in the 5C system), might be one for you to look into. The student body leans heavily to the left and the college has all the usual trappings of sustainability, diversity, and social projects. BUT there seems to be plenty of room for a wide range of views, and my son reported that the Diversity Officer’s definition of “diversity” is one that today’s conservatives would naturally embrace, perhaps more so than today’s liberals.</p>
<p>In the past, I’d have said it’s awfully hard to politicize science – now, of course, we know better. But as far as I’ve seen, the political non sequiturs and outright nastiness don’t seem to be prevalent, or even present in the classroom. There are some of the typical left-leaning classes in the Humanities section, but also some that would accommodate a more libertarian streak. Even among the students – they seem to go out of their way to build classes of students who find their differences more intriguing than threatening.</p>
<p>The campus is “wet” like CMC, but their approach to drinking and parties seems mature and effective. And there are plenty of entertainment alternatives, and the sizable non-drinking population is not pressured to drink. Bottom line, it seems to be a place where students are exposed to real diversity and aren’t bullied to present themselves as (or become) something other than what they are. A fine place for a young conservative to explore ideas and learn to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, imho. I’m glad my son found it.</p>
<p>“Liber” means free (yes another translation is book, but let’s get real here). And there is no question that the vast majority of humanities professors are liberal. You may swing it that they are professors because they want to help others, and I could say they became professors for the same reason Rush Limbaugh became a radio blowhard – to spread their beliefs to others and get paid for it. </p>
<p>Let’s not argue over whether the vast majority of professors would consider themselves liberal – we might as well argue over whether water is wet. But I personally don’t think a student should pick a school for its politics. It probably will build more character for a conservative to go to Brown and for a liberal to go to – well, if I could think of a conservative school I’d insert it here, maybe BYU?? I want my kids to have their beliefs challenged in school and want them to learn about other positions and be taught by people with whom they may disagree. So long as they are free to voice a contrary opinion.</p>
<p>Yes, I read the thread and, sadly, did not see a list of “conservative” schools so much as an attack on the OP and anyone who questions whether a conservative might feel unwelcome at most college campuses today. Your response actually helps to prove the point that we who dare raise an opposing viewpoint are immediately denigrated rather than engaged in a rational discussion.</p>
<p>The ongoing swirl at Berkeley around Professor John Yoo is interesting. He’s a tenured law professor who advised the Bush administration on the legality of torture a few years back. What I’m getting out of the sound bites on the evening news is that some student groups are calling for his head on a plate (anything from firing to arrest) while the administration defends him on grounds of academic freedom.</p>
<p>That’s Berkeley. It appears to me that there must be a fairly diverse mix of opinion on that campus (once the very model of radical leftism), though some very vocal groups or individuals get disproportionate attention.</p>
<p>Well, what’s a conservative college where a liberal student would be free to express very liberal views without negative consequences? It wouldn’t be a place like Liberty or Bob Jones. Wheaton in Illinois, maybe?</p>