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Recording staff meetings would be banned under a proposal from Arizona State University’s New College, which sits on its West Valley campus.
The interdisciplinary college is reportedly considering the new policy so comments are “not taken out of context,” according to an email sent to faculty and staff.
Professor Owen Anderson, a frequent critic of his school, shared the story on his Substack. He provided further comments to The College Fix about how he believes the policy is partially inspired by his advocacy.
“I made a motion to read a ‘settler capitalist’ land acknowledgment,” during a recent meeting, Anderson told The College Fix via email. “Right after this, it was proposed we no longer record our meetings.” He teaches philosophy and religious studies at the school and has regularly criticized Arizona State University for embracing DEI. He also sued Arizona State University’s board of regents for requiring his attendance at DEI training.
Anderson’s tongue-in-cheek statement about capitalism was meant to mock land acknowledgements that usually focus on the suffering of Native Americans.
After that meeting, staff “received a college email saying that New College is exploring eliminating the recording of faculty meetings altogether,” Anderson told The Fix via Email.
This proposal “is telling that the faculty do not want public accountability for their misuse of ASU time as state employees,” Anderson said.
“I believe students would be very interested to see their professors refuse to allow a conservative Christian professor the right to share his perspective in a meeting where they force everyone to sit through their leftist reading,” Anderson said.
At the main Arizona State University campus, only 3.5 percent of professors with identifiable registration are Republican, compared to 52 percent who are Democrats, The Fix previously reported.
ASU’s media relations team did not respond to two emails and a voicemail left in the past three weeks. Student Regent Jadyn Fisher also did not respond to two emailed requests for comment in the same time period.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said it did not “see a compelling speech-related issue here to address,” and declined further comment.
‘Open-minded’ professors aren’t so, Anderson says
Anderson said he is concerned none of his colleagues wanted to even discuss his settler-capitalist proposal.
“What that means is that not one professor even wanted to debate the issue of allowing more perspectives.” he told The Fix. “These professors present themselves in their classes as open minded and the truth would dispel that mirage.”
On his Substack, Professor Anderson also said that recording meetings “would have required faculty to defend their positions in front of the camera, with the public watching.”
“Transparency is the enemy of ideological monopoly,” he wrote. “And so they shut the lights off.”
He then ended by providing tips for how people can advocate for transparency, such as writing to the Arizona Board of Regents.
“I will continue reporting on these attempts to restrict transparency, speech, and debate at ASU,” he said. “And I will continue to stand for the principles a university should uphold: reason, open dialogue, and accountability to the public.”
