College of charleston recently . College each year selects a book that it gives to all freshmen at this as a shared reading assignment. Summer. That this past groupwas a conservative that was concerned about the a gay theme. It had they raised some concerns. It came off well. There were no protests or anything. February, the state Budget Writing Committee cut the 62,000s budget by which was the cost of the College Reading program. Another college upstate cut that schools budget as well for a reading assignment. There was a lot of outrage over this. They looked at what else they were going to do with this book, because they usually do more Group Reading assignments and use the books throughout the year messaging tool. They thought about this play. There was an offbroadway play going on. They couldnt do the play this themselves. Some people at the college had connections with the crew for the Theater Company in new york. Volunteered to come to play, funand do the home, which was a pulitzer finalist, actually. They performed a concert version of that play at a theater in charleston. Bit of protest, but it was a gift to the college. Can you tell the story about the resolution on academic . Reedom what about the reaction from the state legislature, how much influence to they have over the college of charleston . In South Carolina we dont have a board of regents or a governing board. They have a lot of influence in the state. Recently, there was a panel that was screening the candidates that were up for reelection. Expressede candidates concern to the panel about the book. Up the bookd held selection for next year, even though it was controversial. Theres a lot of concern on campus. Especially among faculty. March, the board did approve the resolution of Academic Freedom. I think most people would think that is a wonderful thing and a very happy with it, although there is still some mistrust members, because of the who had told the Screening Committee that they didnt approve of the book, and because the process had been held up. I dont think there is total trust of that yet. Knich has been talking about one aspect of Academic Freedom. That stateeports lawmakers around the country are brandishing their budget plans to penalize public colleges and universities for what they teach, what the professors say and which organizations the schools work with. It talks about the South Carolina case that we just talked about. It also says that last fall, state lawmakers in kansas about to withhold appropriations from university of kansas those are couple of examples of Academic Freedom issues. That is what we want to talk to you about this morning, Academic Freedom on College Campuses. Is there a need or a reason to restrict it . Should there be a wall of separation . You can see the numbers up there on the screen. Were talking about Academic Freedom on College Campuses. What kind of say so can a state legislature or a campus that gets public money, what kind of restrictions, if any, should they have on what they can teach and how they can teach it. From facebook, so we are getting are along this line. This is lawrence comment. Et rid of the liberal shills talking about Academic Freedom on College Campuses. Go ahead and dialin. Were going to go through a couple articles in the meantime that are playing to the papers this morning. Here is from the hill newspaper. From politico is this article. Also in the paper this morning, from the hill. Were going to begin with a call with regard to Academic Freedom on College Campuses. I am a conservative and a republican, so i come at it from that perspective. I think there is incredible Academic Freedom on americas are of aampuses if you liberal progressive viewpoint, world viewpoint. You cant swing a dead cat without hitting a story in the about a conservator for someone with conservative leanings being, i dont say persecuted, that protested a restricted or whatever. Theyre good to give an Honorary Degree to a muslim woman who had spoken out pretty actively against islam and how it treats women. That was taken back because of protests by the left. If condi rice at the university of minnesota. In a nut shell, if you are a liberal, if you come at the world from that point of view that College Campuses are very hospital to your point of view, very hospitable to your point of view. If you are a christian and speak ill of islam or if you are against illegal immigration, then College Campuses are not for hospitable towards you. The case we are talking h involved diane knic a gay themed play which conservatives were protesting. O you think that caller caller that is a rarity. Host should it be allowed . Caller i dont agree with that at all. I think that College Groups and college associations, whether they be christianbased or genderbased, should be free to operate and host events and so again, i dontit mean to be disparaging, but a situation like this will prevent itself where maybe a leftist group or a group that tends to lean toward that worldview is made being called out or being protested. Everyone is up in arms. This happens to conservatives every week. We had some on here who is fired, he was not supported. He eventually won his case. Re is an activist investor a povertywho runs organization. He was told to provide a disclaimer that his opinions were not those of the university. Here protesting. The university simply asked him to identify himself because he is well known. He is a public figure, he is a law professor at the school. Like i said, when someone from to be attackeds or questioned about what they are doing, it is a cause celebre. Mike, do you work in education . Caller i dont. Show enjoy calling your and i enjoy what you guys do. Host i appreciate your input this morning. Page, jim saysok there is no freedom at public universities for faculty the challenges liberal orthodoxy. Doc is calling in from baton rouge on our independent line. I want to echo what the last guy was saying. I like the way he thinks. I like to call these College Breeding grounds for bolsheviks. They are not liberal, theyre way past liberal. I got into an argument with several of my professors, some of them and my Political Science classes, some of them in my history classes because they as much as they can to favor the liberal agenda. When you question them on it, they threaten me with your grades, can you believe that . That is doc in baton rouge. From the New York Times this morning. Louise, fredericksburg, virginia, republican line. Caller i think people are getting conservatives and they put them in neat little categories. Im a republican. I do not support israel. I am not against islam. ,ome people just generalized and i am really sick of that. Lets go to the issue of Academic Freedom that we were talking about. Caller i think there is a problem and colleges as there are in libraries. You cant go to history category and read many books by different historians about the same subject. You cant do that because they actually have no history section. Any College Campus people should be able to expand their thinking. That is what it should be about. It should be about all points of. Iew and similar subjects you can read whatever you want to teach whatever you are being taught. What you should be taught is how to read history, how to do science, how to do the things that an education is all about as opposed to this political divide that is happening. It is really crazy stuff. Host that is louise in fredericksburg, virginia. Christine is calling in from buffalo, new york. Democrat. Academic freedom on College Campuses, what do you think . Caller i believe that the colleges are a breeding ground for the future leaders of america, ok . The matter what your viewpoint andpeople come together discuss what it is that they can accomplish in the future. It is a visionary breeding ground, ok . My daughter is a librarian, and to the person the spoke to before, library can do anything they want. It is freedom, ok . Life is what it is. Host all right, thank you for calling in. Times, Caroline Kennedy says she will back Hillary Clinton in a run for president. Politico pamela is in blytheville, arkansas. Were talking about Academic Freedom. I also support hillary forton and her running president. I have come to learn how to become a survivor. ,ack in time when i lost my son bill clinton was a president. I do believe that the Academic Freedom of children are the future of america will need to come together as a whole in the world and make a difference. Thomas, you are on the washington journal. Yeah, im hearing a lot of i want to say older folks commenting on the subject. I am personally fresh set of college. I graduated 2013 from a very liberal school. The issue of Academic Freedom strikes me as a nonissue. We are in the nature the lot of technology, a lot of information out there on the internet where you can decide whether or not a college seems to have any sort of bias one way or another. Peoplelike a lot more are more susceptible if there is a bias than others. Host you said you and your liberal college and your liberal college in your calling on the republican line. You feel like your views are challenged or changed anyway . Caller i very much had to dilute them. It is very easy to get caught into a machine of ideological norms. You have to learn how to talk to people at diverse opinions. Ideology was not too dramatically altered by the influence. To think that state legislatures or the folks that control the money should be allowed to influence what a college, what professors are teaching . Caller in what way . Host we read a couple examples this morning where the college of trust and got their funding cut because they sponsored a gay themed book and play. A professor at the university of kansas tweeted about guns. Were going to read a story in a minute about kids passing of constitutions on campus. Caller oh, that particular issue, that funding came directly from the state, not from a pool of student fees from Student Government . They cut the funding of what it cost to bring a book to everybody reads. Caller it was concluded that that was definitely the aim of the funding cut . Host host lets presume it was. Lets go to the question. At what point to state legislatures have the right or not the right to step in and cut funding . Beler when taxing needs to cut in spending needs to be cut as well. That seems ridiculous. Has anybody seen or heard of the show cabaret . It is a classic and theres lots , bisexual themes. If a state legislature wants to cut funding just for doing a show with seems like that, that seems ludicrous. What you doing these days after graduating . I work in a law firm and i am on my way to law school this coming august. In. thank you for calling randy in millington, michigan, a democrat. Upler i would like to start a thanking you in all the fine folks behind the scenes that we never see helping you put on the show. You have a good topic this morning. I was on the school or for six years. You have to have Academic Freedom. Biggestnoticed the difference, and this is nothing against anybody or where they send their children or anything, education is important. When i talk to the kids that were at arriving or parochial schools, there wasnt as much of a diverse opinion on some of the more you didnt hear any controversial topics with those two schools. You have to have them. I have family members who have kids that go to parochial schools. I can bring subjects up to them and have never heard of them and they are in the news. We cant have indoctrination. We want all our kids to have an open mind. Let them decide heard look what they are doing now. I have all the confidence in the world that these kids will grow up to be old, smart people like the rest of us calling in this morning. Let them have their trips along the way because that is the only way they learn when you make a mistake once in a while. These kids will know what weight what they do. Thatthis internet and all stuff you have out there now, it is a lot harder to indoctrinate anyone if they allow them to have that freedom. I want to thank you very much for this. Host thank you for calling in, randy, we appreciated. Attorney general eric holder will remain until after the midterm elections. This is on page 82. Inquirer,incinnati boehner mocks gop colleagues on immigration reform. That is in the cincinnati inquirer this morning. The former head of the National Security agency will be the first guest on comedian john olivers new hbo show last week tonight. Vincent, syracuse, new york. Independent line. Caller good morning. Thank you for having me. I push it what youre doing. The people and congress dont like to hear us. The people in congress dont like to hear us. I think our Academic Freedom on College Campuses is very crucial aremerica and the ones that going to end up running the country when it is their turn. If our congress would get out of the way and let some of the , becauseple step in they obviously dont want to do , and job on certain topics maybe we can get some things done in this country and come to an agreement. I think Academic Freedom is for important because right from the getgo, you are taught one way in Elementary School and a lot of people dont question that. Lies when ilot of grew up in high school. They were trying to mold my precious mind. I think independence and the ability to explore is very important. ,f they try to censor college what direction are they going, then. What is next. This is an article from the daily caller this morning. Patrick is calling in from carnegie, pennsylvania on our democrats line. What is your opinion about Academic Freedom on College Campuses . Ironic because you truly hit the nail right on the head when it comes to the Constitutional Rights of the , which iseople literally evaporating right before our eyes, particularly when you look at the politics. Our children are so misinformed about what is being what is taking place in the world. Americas former ambassador to the ussr indicted our country as in the ukrainian and crimean crisis. Youd think that this narrative would be everywhere and the press. He basically said that they used backing relatives derivatives and so forth, along with the territorial land grab heard this is our ambassador to the ussr. All right, patrick. We will leave it there because it is getting off where we denise,on the topic. Were talking about Academic Freedom on the campuses. Caller im considering that the legislative has the right to change. Thee the question as exchange islative which the Koch Brothers are in charge of. They have been since 1983 changing the educational and economic system. To bringg they can events to the way they wanted. I have a problem with the word Academic Freedom, because i see this as the way of the Koch Brothers getting changes that they want. That is how i see it. If you want to continue this conversation, you can go to facebook and twitter. Dialin ande to talk with us about this issue,. 02 is your you code area this is from the foundation for individual rights in education. Cg in mount holly, new jersey. So grateful to hear what is being spoken this morning. Im really interested in making this point. , it should beom based on the truth that you can compare on anyones idea or variation from whatever, lets say degree of thought or believed and so on. When there are certain groups that come together with those of your freedom is questioned or stifled. ,oes my comment this morning why is it that it is questioned if there is a variation or difference when anyones thought should be able to be respected or compared to search the truth for oneself . Host from the Washington Times this morning there is a review in the wall street journal of her new book, a fighting chance. She is a member of the journals editorial board. This is how she concludes her review. Liz wants descriptions of herself may the most interesting part of a fighting chance. She orders treasury secretary gardner to wear seatbelts again, this is a review in the wall street journal lowes quote this morning. Tony is calling in from myrtle beach, South Carolina. Are you aware of what happened at the college of charleston with the funding cuts . Caller im sorry to say i wasnt. We have a really good college carolinastal university. We have complete security on any kind of openminded thinking. We are very corrupt chamber of commerce here. This is a great job place. One of the kids at university started a petition. He was so quickly shut down with that, to the point he was arrested. That is just to tell you how the security of this openminded thinking. More thing, if i could, peter. Im a big watcher of cspan. I think it is great that you give us a chance to air, across our country, from one and together. I would like to ask if you could just give us a little more time in the morning. Maybe a week of open phones. You want to get the pulse of america . Giv