It’s time to create more safe spaces in Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions..Oh, but not to shelter whiney students needing somewhere to run when they’re wounded by ideas that don’t fit the left-wing narrative pumped into their heads. They’re already coddled enough by the woke legions controlling the academic world that manipulates their minds. What useful obliging tools these righteously indignant, suitably offended, impressionable students are in the left’s agenda to keep diverse views out of classrooms..In real need of protection, however, or safe spaces, is the fraction of right-wing professors — representing one-tenth of all instructors — and even some who lean left, who are working in environments that are hostile to different viewpoints. These professors are ever on guard, for they are at the mercy of the half-baked ideology of “brainwashed” students, who have been given “too much power,” said one professor at a major Alberta university who asked to remain anonymous to protect his career..“It’s a minefield at present. Professors have got to be careful and aware of what’s going on. You’ve got to be careful when you talk with students.”.The goal is to try to teach without triggering “complaints.”.“If the students start complaining that’s where there’s a real problem. So, one’s got to be careful what you say in class.”.“They can get upset about all sorts of things, particularly gender issues, race, or you’re not treating them with respect. That’s the sort of things I hear coming up.”.Factual religious and political history are also under constant attack..“In my case I always take a pocket tape recorder with me. I tape record my lectures. I tell the students at the beginning that I’m doing that. Many professors do that.”.Cautious professors never meet with a female student alone. They keep their office doors open when they meet with all students, he said..Whether it’s driven by ideology or cowardice, deans bend over backwards to accommodate student complaints — and if academic freedom is sacrificed, so be it. This leaves professors vulnerable to cancel culture, social media mobs and assorted shut-up tactics that can destroy careers or drive them to quit..The absence of diverse viewpoints created a “grave crisis in higher education in Canada,” concluded a first-of-its-kind study by Christopher Dummitt, a Canadian history professor at Trent University, and Zachery Patterson, associate professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, at Concordia University..Their report — The Viewpoint Diversity Crisis at Canadian Universities, Political Homogenelty, Self-Censorship, and Threats to Academic Freedom — arrived at disturbing conclusions..It claimed “Canadian universities are political monoliths whose lack of viewpoint diversity contributes to serious problems on campus.”.“Professors, especially the nine percent of conservative professors whose views differ from the overwhelmingly dominant left-leaning views held by 88% of professors, are increasingly self-censoring for fear of reprisal,” said the report based on a survey of professors and members of the public last March by Leggier..Findings include:.• 44% of right-leaning professors are worried about facing negative consequences if colleagues, students or others on campus learn of their political opinions, while 88% of left-leaning professors were not worried at all..• 40% of right-leaning professors feel like they face a hostile work environment..• Fear of negative consequences led to self-censorship being exercised by 57% of right-leaning professors and 34% of left-leaning professors..• More than 30% of professors are prepared to limit academic freedom and “cancel” their colleagues out of a commitment to their political views on social justice..This is a dangerous trend..“Deliberation in homogeneous organizations like universities can lead to even greater polarization precisely because there aren’t divergent voices to offer counter perspectives or bring to light useful information that might otherwise be overlooked,” wrote Dummitt and Patterson. “We need to trust universities are places where different perspectives can be aired openly and collegially, fostering the highest quality debate on pressing issues.”.Academic freedom is a “key tool in a liberal society to protect the disadvantaged and a mechanism for correcting the illiberalism of repressive and conformist majorities,” they concluded..But academic freedom and viewpoint diversity are “under threat” and protections at universities “are insufficient to prevent a monoculture. This, in turn has “significant negative impacts” on the quality of education. External intervention is needed, they said..The authors recommended creating an Academic Freedom Act tying provincial funding for post-secondary institutions to ensure they adhere to principles that protect academic freedom..That would include:.• Insisting universities remain politically neutral in their public statements, hiring practices, and organizational structure and rules..• Legislate that unions cannot discriminate based on politics in the defence of their members..• Eliminating political loyalty tests from hiring, research funding, and other human resource decisions and bodies..Research funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) — the main granting agency — has proven to be a useful tool to keep right-leaning professors in line and ensure the flow of left-wing ideology..Government is using the public purse to promote “pet ideologies” and sway opinion by refusing grants to those who hold opposing views, said the Alberta professor..“This is a serious, extreme issue.”.“You could be at risk of losing your job but that would be very, very rare. But you are at risk of not getting funding, not being given the courses you want to teach, and just general unpleasantness.”.“Increasingly, over the years, SSHRC in particular has become much more focused on projects which clearly, they will deny this, the government wants them to look at.”.The SSHRC research grants webpage has a list of what it wants people to study..“They do give an emphasis to studying things which clearly the politicians think are important. It’s crept in over the last 20 years, and it definitively got worse since the Trudeau Liberals took power.”.In the past, professors could pitch ideas about topics that weren’t sufficiently studied, regardless of political stands..“Now they wouldn’t let you say ‘Here’s a problem I want to research.’ They give you a list and they decide what the problems are.”.“Most of the grants are explicitly saying you’ve got to explain how this will help improve society. You’ve got to be practical in the things they think are practical. These things change from year to year when they get another little thing to talk about.”.As well, the size of the grants has significantly increased — potentially resulting in millions of wasted taxpayer dollars..“They used to have them up to about $100,000. Usually, you applied for a grant of about $60,000. The other thing I disagree with is now they’re huge grants. They’re getting grants of $500,000 or $1million.”.The focus has switched from giving grants to individual scholars to groups working on the same project, which multiplies the size of the grant..“Therefore, you’ve got to make work.”.Results? Not always necessary..“I see people getting these big grants and supposedly working on them and nothing happens. You’ve got to write a report at the end, yes. But there’s no impact.”.“It’s all gone crazy.”.Meanwhile, Canada’s students are being used as pawns and deprived of a proper rounded education.
