Nick Fesenko ’10 once referred to conservatives as “Bible-loving fascists.” Now, he considers himself one.
“Before Wes, I’d never had anything behind conservatives,” he said. “But after coming here, I realized that liberal people are insane.”
The University has historically been known for its political activism and liberal leanings, but some conservatives on campus contend that students take this notion to the extreme.
“Students here make it seem like it’s impolite to have the opinions I do,” said Scott Ugras ’10, Treasurer of the Wesleyan College Republicans (WesReps). “I think students claim to be tolerant, but if someone is against gay marriage, for example, they are called a bigot or a homophobe. Wesleyan needs to live up to its reputation as an environment of free and honest discourse.”
Eugene Wong ’09, president of WesReps, noted similar animosity.
“I honestly don’t understand what some students’ intentions are,” Wong said. “I find they often assert their opinions not necessarily to change me, but to show how wrong I am. When students do that, it downgrades Wes.”
The campus’ extreme liberalism even has some students questioning its role in fostering a ’real-world’ environment.
“This campus is a bubble,” Ugras said. “What are considered ’polite policies’ on this campus wouldn’t be respected anywhere else. Even in terms of teaching, history and government classes are structurally biased. Sometimes professors will present two opposing views, but both are from the left.”
David Puelz ’11 agreed.
“I do find it offensive when professors and other organizations seemingly ’preach to the choir’,” Puelz said. “They assume that everyone hates Bush, is against the War in Iraq, and leans left.”
Professor of Government Peter Rutland, who previously taught at the University of Texas, expressed similar frustrations with this trend.
“I don’t think it’s positive to have so many like-minded people on campus, but the faculty here are just as skewed as the students,” Rutland said. “When the Iraq War began, I openly expressed my opinion that I didn’t think an educational institution should teach a certain view of the war, or the ’Wesleyan view.’ It wasn’t taken well by most faculty.”
Wong, however, noted that he has taken courses in which the professors made an effort to present multiple opinions on one issue.
“I took an International Politics course first semester and found that the majority of professors here aren’t that biased,” Wong said. “This professor in particular presented both sides, playing devil’s advocate on many issues. He challenged everyone in that class, and I wanted to double major because of him.”
In addition to running the risk of offending students, when faculty express their own political opinions they also run the risk of losing their jobs, Rutland said.
“The chilling effect politics can have on faculty is the same for students,” he said. “We can lose our job if we speak out or are seen as oddballs. If professors aren’t tenured, they won’t assert their opinions on issues because they may not get tenure in the future. So I can understand the social pressures on students because there are similar pressures on junior faculty.”
Rutland also stressed the importance of challenging students’ assumptions and teaching in a balanced manner.
“Professors shouldn’t agree or assume,” he said. “We should adjust our opinions in the opposite direction of students. The political biases on campus are deep and hard to break down.”
Although these political biases may divide students, some acknowledged that they encourage conversation at the very least.
“It’s a great environment for debate,” Wong said. “Some [conservative] people here become discouraged by politics, but I look at it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and ultimately give back to the campus.”
For Wong, the University’s predominately liberal campus was a change from his largely conservative high school.
“I’ve definitely grown, politically speaking,” Wong said. “I’ve been able to better understand liberal views, and I’ve been opened up to more perspectives.”
Ugras agreed, explaining that exposure to these liberal opinions allows conservatives to better assert their own.
“We get bombarded by the opposing view, but it facilitates the development of our own ideas,” he said. “Since coming here, my ideas have greatly developed. I’m forced to hear the other side constantly, and I have a well-defended opinion as a result.”
Charles Riether ’09 noted that the University’s unique political climate has even caused him to reexamine his political views.
“Wes is looked at as a school stuck in the 1970s,” he said. “However, it’s important to know where your party comes from, and the best way to do that is to understand the opposition. Sure, I’ve become more conservative with some issues since coming here, but I’ll admit I’ve also become more liberal.”
While Riether may see the University as the liberal beacon of the 1970s, Rutland points out that today’s students are moving beyond politics to more practical issues, such as fighting AIDS and global warming.
“The new Wesleyan is beyond partisan,” he said. “There’s no Democratic or Republican AIDS, it’s just a disease. That’s the positive trend we’re seeing. The political awareness on campus has shifted from symbolic politics to practical politics.”
Yet despite this apparent progress, some conservative students still feel marginalized.
“For example, one freshman sent me a message saying that although he wanted to be involved with WesReps, he was removing himself from the Facebook group because he didn’t want to be publicly affiliated with it,” Wong said. “However, Wesleyan is not a hostile environment. I really don’t feel the majority of students judge me because I’m Republican.”
Puelz agreed.
“Although I feel like Wesleyan is surprisingly accepting of my mildly right lean, it has still been an interesting change of settings for me,” he said. “Before flailing against all that is right, students need to accept that not everyone shares the same liberal opinions as their own, and perhaps pull back their universal assumptions.”
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