Author: Sam Haller and Anna Oseran
The Princeton Review is one of the most respected college ranking systems in the world. This July Occidental students made it to the top of the list as the most liberal student body in America.
According to The Princeton Review study, “the one thing most everyone has in common” at Oxy is their “left-leaning political views.” Republicans on campus “seem to somewhat not fit in” and “make it very known that they feel oppressed by . . . other students.”
The Review bases its rankings off of student surveys. According to the Princeton Review Web site, “The survey has more than 80 questions in four main sections: ‘About Yourself,’ ‘Your School’s Academics/Administration,’ ‘Students,’ and ‘Life at Your School.'”
Dean of Admissions, Vince Cuseo, spoke with the Review when they contacted him about the survey. “Princeton Review demanded access to all students, not a select set preferred by Admission or any other office, if they were to continue including Oxy in its volume of the 300+ institutions,” he said.When asked whether he agreed with the Review’s findings, Sam Powers (sophomore), a self-proclaimed independent who admits to liberal leanings said, “Absolutely. It’s a very unbalanced system. There’s an Oxy for Obama Club and a Democrats for America club, but no Oxy for McCain group.”
UEP major Taylor Kaplan (senior) agrees saying, “Many of the professors teach based on a progressive ideology. Conservative thoughts aren’t really built into the classroom or student-life.”
In Contrast, sophomore Saul Sutcher said that the Review had an imprecise standing. “The only we reason we got that ranking is because Obama went here. I feel like we are a liberal campus, but at the same time, not very radical,” he said.
Christopher Norman (junior), a Republican and one of Occidental’s few outspoken conservatives, says he agrees with the wording of the study. Norman expressed that while the faculty and the institution keep their opinions to themselves, the student body tends to be “very politically close-minded.” Norman recalls trying to lead a discussion after the third debate between Senators Obama and McCain, “I tried to be objective, but my opinions were immediately discounted because I am Republican.”
“It’s a big problem for political dialogue,” Norman said of Oxy’s political climate. “For a campus that says it has a very diverse student body, there is a strong tendency for political intolerance and homogeny.”
Powers also cautions against the Oxy bias. “In a school that preaches social and academic diversity, you can’t disregard one opinion just because the majority of students disagree.”As for what can be done to stop this tendency toward political intolerance, some students say looking at the issues might help. “It is patriotic to vote for the policies you agree with,” Yennaedo Balloo (senior) said, a registered Republican who is voting for Obama in the upcoming election. “To be faithful to your country, you must look at the details of each candidate’s proposals. I’m not rich. I’m from the lower middle-class. By all definitions I should be liberal. But that’s not how I vote.”
Powers agrees. “If you are liberal minded, you should be able to differentiate between what you believe and your party’s candidate. You don’t always have to vote with your party.” When asked whether he considered the political orientation of Occidental before he applied, Norman said, “I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I thought people would be more tolerant.”
Still, Norman expressed that Oxy’s liberal campus, to him, in a sense is no big deal. “I may actually be more strongly Republican now,” Norman said. “For someone who inherently disagrees with the student body, the lack of dialogue and political intolerance has served to confirm my viewpoints, not challenge them.”
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