LOS ANGELES, 1 April 2003 — A California community college administrator has warned instructors against discussing the Iraq war in class unless it is directly related to the subject they are teaching — a message that some faculty members called the latest in a series of attacks on academic freedom.
In a memo mailed to department deans at Irvine Valley College on Thursday, Vice President of Instruction Dennis White wrote that while he understood the depth of opinions held by instructors both in favor of and against the war, discussing those views in class would be “professionally inappropriate if it cannot be demonstrated to this office that such discussions are directly related to the approved course materials.”
White could not be reached for comment on Sunday. But college President Glenn Roquemore said the memo was “not a ban” and that the college respects the faculty’s academic-freedom rights.
Though Roquemore didn’t rule out any disciplinary action, the memo “doesn’t say you’re going to be disciplined and thrown out of your job,” he said. “The memo has little effect, it’s certainly not official, and it’s subject to further debate.”
Roquemore said White acted after receiving reports from college counselors and others that at least three students, including one with a fiance in the military overseas, became distraught after professors expressed antiwar opinions in their classes. He said he would conduct an investigation to determine the facts in each case.
“I believe his memo was really meant to say ‘please talk to me before you enter into a conversation with your students unless it’s in the context of a political science class,’” he said.
Some on campus, however, interpreted the memo as a blanket ban, and called it an overreaction based on a few incidents. They noted that the Orange County college of 13,000 students proudly advertises its cultural and racial diversity and hosts a large number from Middle Eastern countries.
