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Innumerable studies have demonstrated that our universities are dominated by liberals. One of the most thorough surveys, undertaken by Neil Gross of Harvard and Solon Simmons of George Mason University, was published in September 2007. (The study is available at www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org.) Gross and Simmons surveyed 1,417 full-time professors at 927 institutions and confirmed what most objective observers already knew: that the university campus is a bastion of left-wing thought. According to the study, 62 percent of professors are liberal, and only 19 percent are conservative. In 2004, 78 percent voted for John Kerry, only 20 percent for Bush.

The fact that a professor is liberal, in and of itself, is not a problem. All too often, however, a professor's political opinions influence the manner in which he interacts with and grades his students. In light of the preponderance of leftist professors, this creates a hostile classroom environment for traditionalist students and, left unchecked, "institutional discrimination" against conservatives.

Consider a recent episode at Elon University, where Joe Malone Jr. enrolled as a freshman last fall. Among his required courses was one called "The Global Experience," a vague description of which is available on Elon's Web site (www.elon.edu). The textbook for the course, "Democracy's Edge," by Francis Lappe, is an outrageous example of left-wing indoctrination. (Excerpts of the book are available at http://books.google.com.)

Lappe expends gallons of ink hurling invective at Reagan, Bush, "the far right" and its "mean-spirited, ends-justify-means mind set." The "far right," the author claims, opposes "the democratic premise that citizens use government as our tool to provide basic security for ourselves and express solidarity with our neighbors."

To begin with, anyone who suggests that President Bush is a member of the "far right" is ignorant of conservative principles. And second, we can only wonder if Lappe has ever read the Constitution, or any of our founding documents, which say nothing about expressing "solidarity with our neighbors." Obviously, the author's paranoia about conservatives distorts her vision of "the global experience." For Joe Malone, things would only get worse.

Malone's instructor in "The Global Experience" was Stephen Schulman, assistant professor of philosophy, who, in the first week of class, proclaimed that President Bush, upon completion of his term, should be tried for war crimes and convicted by the International Criminal Court. Upon voicing a contrary position -- in a course that allegedly thrives on dialogue and the exchange of ideas -- Joe Malone was scolded and advised to alter his behavior. This exchange was verified by Wendy Warren, a classmate of Malone.

Shortly thereafter, Professor Schulman suggested that his students undertake, as a class project, the gathering of signatures to increase the minimum wage in Greensboro. It would be inappropriate for a "far right" professor to expect his students to gather signatures for tax cuts or to abolish affirmative action; likewise, isn't it inappropriate to expect students to participate in a partisan, progressive cause?

Students were asked to write a "response" to the minimum wage initiative, about which Malone's paper was critical. Although his arguments were valid and his tone respectful (I have read the paper), Professor Schulman, in an e-mail to Malone, declared the paper "unacceptable" because of the author's "overblown statements" and "general tone of distaste." In the same message, Schulman warned Malone that his "behavior in class comes across as borderline hostile to others."

Joe Malone Jr. was charged with "disorderly conduct" and ordered to appear at a hearing before Elon's Honor Board, which found him "responsible," meaning guilty as charged. (He has appealed the decision.) The aforementioned Wendy Warren wrote the board on Malone's behalf and argued that he was "never intimidating" in class. But Malone, she wrote, was "about the only one passionate enough about his beliefs to question Schulman's extremely liberal thoughts and ideas."

In an effort to obtain another perspective on the matter, I contacted Professor Schulman, who responded via e-mail that "it is against federal student privacy laws and Elon University policy" for him to "discuss individual students or their academic performance."

Dan Anderson, Elon's director of university relations, could not discuss individual students, either. Instead, we engaged in a lively but courteous telephone conversation about Elon's processes and procedures. According to Anderson, there is no review process for the selection of textbooks. Professors, protected by "academic freedom," are at liberty to choose the texts they consider most appropriate. They are not, however, licensed to proselytize. Anderson also informed me that proceedings of the Honor Board are confidential.

Joe Malone Sr. feels partially responsible for Junior's troubles at Elon, where he remains a student. Joe Sr. wrote to the Honor Board that he and his wife "raised Joe to stand up for his deeply-held beliefs. So blame me and also blame Joe's high school teachers, who fostered free thinking and debate."

University mission statements, Elon's included, are adorned with phrases such as "freedom of thought" and "liberty of conscience." Theoretically, then, free thinking and debate are encouraged in higher education. But in practice, many professors genuflect to superficial "diversity" while stifling diversity of the intellectual variety.

Charles Davenport Jr. (daisha99@msn.com) is a freelance columnist who appears alternate Sundays in the News & Record.