Vanderbilt University was criticized in a recent report that analyzed the extent to which conservative views are welcomed on university campuses. The Heterodox Academy (HxA) in June released its second Guide to Colleges, which ranks the top 150 U.S. universities based on their acceptance of viewpoint diversity. The HxA is a group of scholars that advocates for “a more intellectually diverse and heterodox academy.” The HxA gave Vanderbilt a score of 43 on a 100 point scale. The higher the score, the more likely you are to find intellectual diversity and dissent, according to the study. The study draws from publicly available sources of information. Vanderbilt earned praise for endorsing the Chicago Principles on free expression this spring when updating the faculty manual, reports Vanderbilt Hustler, the student newspaper. But the school took a big hit because it is considered an “unsafe zone” for conservative students by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) guide to Choosing the Right College 2014-2015. That came as a result of a 2011 policy that required campus religious organization to not only accept members regardless of their beliefs, but also to open up leadership positions to those members, limiting the groups’ ability to consistently uphold their values. Vanderbilt also lost points because of…
Read the full storyVanderbilt University Criticized for Lack of Openness to Conservative Viewpoints
