Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Local Colleges Rated Liberal

Georgetown may be undermining its Catholic heritage as part of a broader liberalization trend at D.C. universities, says one report commissioned by Campus Reform, a conservative action network.

Among D.C. universities surveyed, The George Washington University was rated most conservative, while Howard University was deemed the most liberal. The Catholic University of America was not included in the study. The Campus Reform study evaluated the political climate of top universities across the country on three criteria – campus life, faculty and university policy.

While D.C. colleges display liberal tendencies, this is not just a regional issue, according to Abigail Alger, an analyst at Campus Reform.

“[D.C.] may be liberal, but we have seen trends consistent with this growing liberalism from Texas to Michigan.” Alger said. “It’s a national trend.”

Georgetown was rated as largely liberal, but less so than other universities.

“America’s colleges and universities are dominated by liberals, and Georgetown University is no different. Too often, the campus left uses its power to indoctrinate the next generation,” said Morton Blackwell, president of the Leadership Institute and founder of CampusReform.org.

Campus Reform’s survey said that Georgetown was “far too gay,” citing the existence of the LGBTQ Resource Center, which was established in August 2008, as well as several courses that supposedly undermine Georgetown’s traditional values, including “Gender, Sexuality and the Body” and the supposedly socialist “Ethics & Economics.”

According to Bryan Woll (COL ’12), president of the Georgetown University College Democrats, the openness to different backgrounds and traditions is what makes Georgetown unique.

“I happen to believe, and I think many others on campus would agree, that these are [the] very things that make Georgetown a great place to go to school. The fact that we embrace people of different faith, ethnicity, gender, orientation and experiences is something that ought to be commended rather than vilified,” Woll said.

Some Georgetown students said they took issue with what they see as a left-leaning faculty. During the midterm elections, faculty and staff donated significantly more to Democratic candidates than to Republican ones.

According to Cole Glass (MSB ’12) faculty’s perceived political tendencies come across in their teaching.

“[University faculty are] increasing liberalist ideals in society as a whole,” he said.

The Campus Reform review also stated that liberal campus groups outnumber conservative groups 3 to 1. Woll said the spirit behind the statistic is accurate.

“There are certainly more liberal- and progressive-minded student groups, and those student groups are by far more active than conservative ones,” Woll said in an email.

The survey also determined that the majority of students on campus support liberal causes, a belief challenged by Woll.

“I think that there are more students who identify as conservative than these statistics indicate – for whatever reason, these students ch oose not to be involved in student organizations,” he said.

Among other D.C. universities, Howard was most negatively reviewed by Campus Reform. According to the report, the university’s College Republicans received no university funding, as opposed to the $2,600 received by liberal organizations on campus. The report also specifically criticized American University for its housing program. The Campus Reform report criticized American for offering coed suites and apartments to its students. In contrast, GWU received a more positive review than other local universities for having active conservative groups on its campus.

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