The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate passed legislation last night against academic discrimination based on political beliefs.
"If a professor has a different political ideology, they should not be allowed to discriminate against students of different beliefs," South Halls Sen. Vicki Cangelosi said. Cangelosi said at this time, there is no state law against professors treating students with contrary political beliefs differently than other students.
The legislation recommended the USG Senate formally endorse the Student Bill of Rights, which would be presented to Pennsylvania legislators.
The Student Bill of Rights is sponsored by Students for Academic Freedom in Pennsylvania, an organization dedicated to the "promotion of academic diversity" across the nation.
"This promotes the free exchange of ideas," Cangelosi said. "We are bringing in both sides of the issue."
She said this issue will soon face Pennsylvania legislators, and she wants Students for Academic Freedom to have the support of Penn State's USG.
"This legislation does not say [professors] have to think down the middle," Town Sen. Andrew Bond said. "They have to grade based on facts of logic and merit."
USG Academic Assembly will consider an identical resolution next week.
Pollock/Nittany Sen. Eddie Fisher said he is in favor of the legislation against academic discrimination because a similar problem affected him as a student at Penn State Altoona College.
Fisher said he turned in a paper about communism to a professor who was against communism.
Although Fisher said he followed all the directions, he received a bad grade because of the topic he chose.
"I think it was because I wrote about something he strongly disagreed with," he said.
USG President Galen Foulke also announced that the Constitutional Review Committee, a commission formed to review the USG constitution and recommend relevant changes, will hold an open student forum at 7:30 p.m. on March 24 in 102 Thomas Building in order to discuss the committee's progress thus far.
