Campus Reform . . ."Instead, it was what higher education used to be about: curious students engaged in thoughtful dialogue.
"This stands in stark contrast to what we are witnessing on many university campuses. At Columbia University, anti-Israel activists distributed a vandalism guide that encourages students to use sledgehammers to “cause quite a bit of damage.”. . .
"A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion, at my New York college, hosted by the African American Student Union (AASU). What I witnessed wasn’t the dogmatism that we’ve come to expect in some academic circles. There was nothing staged. No performative outrage, no ideological litmus tests or demands for conformity. Instead, it was what higher education used to be about: curious students engaged in thoughtful dialogue. They were eager to listen, learn, and challenge their own assumptions.
"The specific topic of our roundtable discussion focused on President Trump and his current administration. While most of the students in attendance didn’t support the current President at the ballot box, and some expressed clear reservations about some of his policies, they also displayed an honesty that is increasingly rare on college campuses – a willingness to admit what they didn’t know and an openness to consider different perspectives.
"The range of issues discussed was wide-reaching. As the discussion unfolded, some students expressed concern over the Trump tariffs, but acknowledged they didn’t fully understand tariffs and the economic strategy behind them. Others focused more on immigration policies, and while some believed the President was too heavy handed, others respectfully disagreed. However, they all acknowledged the complexities of illegal immigration. Instead of defaulting to slogans or partisan talking points, these students genuinely sought to understand the broader implications of public policy decisions." . . .
Nicholas Giordano is a professor of Political Science, the host of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, and a fellow at Campus Reform’s Higher Education Fellowship.
More from Professor Giordiano:Congress must dismantle the Department of Education "It should not be difficult to state the obvious, the Department of Education has had over 40 years to prove its worth – and it has failed.
"We can no longer afford to support an education system that fails students year after year. It’s time for Congress to do its job and dismantle the Department of Education if we want to stop wasting tax dollars and pursue meaningful education reform.
"Since 2000, the Department of Education’s annual discretionary budget has skyrocketed from $34.7 billion tax dollars to $82.4 billion. Yet, what have students and taxpayers gotten in return for this 137% increase?
"Despite the massive increases in education spending, Americans are left with a negative return on investment. Student proficiency levels remain at historic lows as they cannot read or write at grade level, and half of college freshman have to take at least one remedial course for content they should have already mastered.
"These failures extend beyond the classroom. They are reflected on the global stage and serve as a national embarrassment. American students to lag behind their global peers and two-thirds of American universities have seen their positions drop in global rankings.
"But the problem transcends the Department of Education’s own statistics . . ."