Rationalizing bias. (Scan).

The stunning research presented in our September issue, documenting a gross imbalance between conservative and liberal faculty members on college campuses, stirred up enormous interest, inspiring numerous TV news shows, an ABC segment by George Will, Wall Street Journal coverage, and a U.S. News column by John Leo.

Many professors, however, either shrugged their shoulders in the face of this hard evidence, or resorted to smug attempts to explain away campus discrimination against non-leftists. The following reaction from Duke University professor Lawrence Evans ran in the Raleigh News & Observer on September 23:

 
   So John Leo and the (oh so diverse!) The American Enterprise magazine think 
   there is insufficient diversity of political affiliation among university 
   faculty. Their numbers show that Republicans are a small minority of the 
   professoriate. True, and rightly so. 
 
      In seeking faculty, universities look for people who can analyze and 
   discuss matters of some complexity, who are unafraid to challenge the 
   wisdom of simple solutions, and who have a sense of social responsibility 
   toward those who cannot buy influence. Such people tend to be put off by a 
   political party dominated by those who believe ...