HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Several states including Pennsylvania are considering legislation to encourage free debate and protect students against discrimination for political views.
David Horowitz, president of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, has been lobbying more than a dozen state legislatures to pass an "Academic Bill of Rights, reported the New York Times Sunday.
Horowitz says his campaign for intellectual diversity is nonpartisan, but the campaign appears to be fueled by studies that show the number of Democratic professors is generally much larger than the number of Republicans -- and by stories of students, mostly Republicans, who say they have experienced discrimination because of their political views.
In Pennsylvania, lawmakers have held hearings on whether the political climate at its 18 state-run colleges requires legislation to ban bias.
Eleven states are considering the measure or something similar, while three states have rejected comparable efforts.
