167:
Proponents asserted that H-837 would give students a more balanced education; conservative students and activists argued that only liberal viewpoints were being taught. Supporters also rallied behind claims that conservative students were being targeted by liberal professors for "humiliation" and retaliation as a result of their beliefs, arguing that the
Academic Freedom Bill of Rights would protect students from ideological discrimination. (While both Baxley and Horowitz circulated claims of alleged retaliations, they declined to name students or professors involved.)
238:, Weatherfield described H-837 as "a solution in search of a problem". In addition, claims of anti-conservative discrimination on campus were often viewed with skepticism; many anecdotes lacked proof, and typically did not name students or professors involved. Nationally, professors who were accused of anti-conservative bias denied the allegations, asserting that details were left out or falsified; faculty members and student witnesses affirmed their statements. Weatherfield shared with
171:
47:
27:, was a proposed bill in 2005 that would have allowed students to establish lawsuits against their professors and university for perceived intolerance of the student's beliefs. The bill could have also required professors to teach concepts that may have contradicted established facts, if the concept was considered a "serious scholarly" theory (such as
296:. Horowitz himself also received criticism for sharing unverified stories of ideological discrimination from professors; at least one claim was heavily fabricated, and he later admitted to lacking evidence of two others. No states had ratified his Academic Bill of Rights by 2005, and Horowitz chose to pursue other forms of campus activism by 2006.
166:
H-837 received national attention; though multiple states proposed similar bills, Florida was the sole state that seemed likely to pass it. The bill primarily gathered support from
Republicans and conservative student groups, including Students for Academic Freedom, who denied a political motivation.
223:
There was bipartisan uncertainty of the bill's necessity; Florida already has an academic Bill of Rights, and most universities have procedures to file grievances against professors who behaved in an intolerant or vengeful manner. Sobel referenced existing student protections in the form of laws and
211:
higher education director). Auxter characterized H-837 as "a right-wing political takeover" of higher education, and later testified about the unclear guidelines the bill would set, saying, "The standard will be the most easily offended student and whether or not that person will react against what
186:
Democrats and academics largely opposed the bill, citing the unclear language and government interference in situations handled by educational boards. Many criticized it as an effort to frighten professors away from controversial topics or discussions, pointing out an overhanging threat of lawsuits
257:
Both Baxley and
Horowitz portrayed opposition to the bill as the work of a controlling liberal agenda. Baxley described liberal professors as "leftist totalitarians," "dictators," and "arrogant elitists", and dubbed critics of the bill "inflexible". Horowitz attributed disagreement to "lies" and a
153:
If a student felt that their professor had targeted them or behaved in a way that was intolerant of the student's beliefs, H-837 would have given them grounds to file a lawsuit. Some interpreted the bill as mandating professors to teach both sides of a subject without any complaints from students,
254:). Auxter, testifying against the bill on April 19, also noted the lack of basis for the bill: "What we've heard is anecdotes from other states. We have not heard examples in Florida. e have not heard of any investigations of the contentions he has made about people in other states."
157:
Horowitz's
Academic Bill of Rights (and by extension, H-837) did not contain overtly politicized language. However, Democrats raised concerns about the partisan financial support, as well as the conservatism of the board of Students for Academic Freedom.
102:" intending to protect students and faculty from discrimination or retaliation based on their political beliefs. Though the Academic Bill of Rights drew immediate backlash in academia, it spurred nationwide efforts to legislate "academic freedom" laws.
303:, voted in favor of HB-233, an "intellectual freedom" law that allowed students to film perceived bias from their professors, and barred university faculty from censoring "uncomfortable" or "offensive" speech on campus. The bill passed in the
128:
The right for students to expect "a broad range of scholarly opinion" at their academic institution; institutions should prioritize "the fostering of a plurality of serious scholarly methodologies and perspectives";
963:
276:
reported that Baxley intended to continue pursuing passage of the bill, and wanted to propose the bill again in 2006. Horowitz, however, claimed that H-837 was "still being considered" despite the ending of the
212:
you are saying". While there was a general consensus that it was inappropriate for professors to push their own views on students or punish them for ideological disagreements, many academic faculty (including
109:(R-Ocala) began considering an Academic Bill of Rights after listening to Horowitz's speech at a conference. Baxley had attended college in the 1970s, where he felt a professor criticized him for his
131:
Prohibition of retaliation by professors against students with different political beliefs via grading, recommendations, or other measures with academic or professional consequences;
121:
H-837 would have amended
Florida Statute 1002.21 to guarantee "academic freedom" for students, and add Statute 1004.09, which would have laid out what rights students were granted.
137:
Prohibition of "infringement upon" a student's First
Amendment rights and "freedom of conscience" by university administrators, student groups, or the academic institute's rules;
573:
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Nationally, Horowitz's proposed
Academic Bill of Rights became increasingly unpopular. It was criticized by major academic and anti-censorship groups, including the
285:
95:
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beliefs. In
February 2005, with the support of Horowitz, Baxley proposed H-837, which was closely modeled after Horowitz's Academic Bill of Rights.
866:
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or blood transfusions. Many
Florida professors and university administrators spoke out in protest, including Thomas Auxter (the President of the
220:, in a speech making mention of the bill) stated that discipline for those offenses should be the burden of schools, not courts or legislators.
134:
Prohibition of professors bringing up controversial subjects with "no relation to the subject of study" or "no legitimate pedagogical purpose";
423:
833:
293:
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565:
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191:(D-Hollywood), who voted against the bill in the Choice & Innovation Committee, called it "the antithesis of academic freedom".
46:
768:
299:
Despite the failure of H-837, Florida continued pursuing academic freedom legislation. In April 2021, Baxley, now a member of the
1012:
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146:
The right for academic faculty to receive or lose employment or tenure based on their abilities, not their personal beliefs, and;
67:
63:
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or whose religious beliefs contradicted modern history or science; for instance, medical students whose beliefs did not allow
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611:
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Use of student fees by academic institutions on a "viewpoint-neutral basis", without lending credence to certain viewpoints;
86:, believing that the amount of liberal college professors was stifling discussion of conservative beliefs, decided to found
242:
that students infrequently filed grievance reports, a statement corroborated by university presidents Bernie Machen (from
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in academia, and raised concerns about potential abuse by those with fringe beliefs. It died on calendar in May 2005.
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Professors "making students aware of serious scholarly viewpoints other than their own";
281:. Baxley did not re-propose an Academic Bill of Rights in the 2006 legislative session.
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The right for students and all academic faculty to be informed of their academic rights.
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652:"Conservative 'Academic Bill of Rights' Limits "Controversial Matter" in Classroom"
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195:(D-Miami Beach) pointed out the potential for abuse by students who believed in
110:
35:
258:"malicious campaign" opposing him, describing it as "vitriolic and dishonest".
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H-837 was discussed by many prominent politicians and academics, including
340:
225:
79:
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but Baxley maintained in interviews that this was not part of the bill.
58:
H-837 was one of many "academic freedom" bills proposed throughout the
1075:"Campus 'intellectual freedom' gains traction in Florida Legislature"
94:). Referencing a 1940 "academic freedom" document published by the
70:
was widening, and many
Democrats were highly critical of President
232:
expressed doubt about the use of such a law. In an interview with
169:
45:
62:
in the early 2000s. At the time, the ideological divide between
954:
Beito, David; Luker, Ralph; Johnson, Robert (1 March 2006).
725:"Lawmaker aims to squelch political bias in college classes"
224:
university policies, and prominent Florida Republicans like
566:"Legislatures fight colleges' left-leaning political views"
341:"Professors bristle as states act to mould lecture content"
690:"Organizing Faculty Unions in a Right-to-Work Environment"
795:"Lawmaker takes complaints about liberal bias to the top"
986:""Academic Bill Of Rights" - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
532:"Taking the cause of the academic rights of the right"
856:
475:
34:The bill was heavily criticized as an attack on
956:"The AHA's Double Standard on Academic Freedom"
694:Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy
266:H-837 received enough votes to progress to the
612:"Capitol bill aims to control "leftist" profs"
929:American Association of University Professors
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603:
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286:American Association of University Professors
124:Statute 1004.09 would have legally mandated:
96:American Association of University Professors
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855:Jacobson, Jennifer (26 November 2004).
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92:Center for the Study of Popular Culture
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610:Vanlandingham, James (23 March 2005).
1013:"Who Won the Battle of Pennsylvania?"
664:from the original on 12 December 2007
294:National Coalition Against Censorship
228:(who typically supported Baxley) and
7:
992:from the original on 23 January 2021
966:from the original on 16 January 2021
935:from the original on 26 January 2021
858:"A Liberal Professor Fights a Label"
771:from the original on 13 January 2006
735:from the original on 2 December 2005
564:Raffaele, Martha (22 January 2006).
426:from the original on 30 October 2020
1011:Jaschik, Scott (16 November 2006).
262:Death of bill and subsequent legacy
25:The Academic Freedom Bill of Rights
863:The Chronicles of Higher Education
826:"Campus bias tale is called a lie"
805:from the original on 29 March 2006
757:Jaschik, Scott (11 January 2006).
488:from the original on 22 March 2021
482:The Chronicles of Higher Education
14:
1134:Original Alligator Online article
1085:from the original on 9 April 2021
759:"Retractions From David Horowitz"
704:from the original on 14 July 2020
616:The Independent Florida Alligator
474:Jacobson, Jennifer (6 May 2005).
50:H-837 was proposed by Republican
891:Jaschik, Scott (15 March 2005).
412:Jaschik, Scott (25 March 2005).
380:"Florida House Bill 0837 (2005)"
349:. Vol. 434, no. 7034.
268:Florida House of Representatives
105:In 2004, Florida Representative
1105:"Florida House Bill 233 (2021)"
869:from the original on 7 May 2021
836:from the original on 3 May 2005
576:from the original on 8 May 2021
542:from the original on 5 May 2021
353:from the original on 5 May 2021
290:American Historical Association
209:Florida Education Association's
1073:Dailey, Ryan (19 March 2021).
1:
793:Karp, David (22 April 2005).
650:Goodman, Amy (6 April 2005).
618:. Tallahassee. Archived from
339:Marris, Emma (6 April 2005).
88:Students for Academic Freedom
824:Karp, David (7 April 2005).
723:Karp, David (6 April 2005).
530:Kumar, Anita (29 May 2005).
207:) and Roy Weatherfield (the
252:University of South Florida
250:), and Judy Genshaft (from
82:. Neoconservative activist
1180:
187:would stifle discussions.
925:"Academic Bill of Rights"
246:), T.K. Weatherall (from
205:United Faculty in Florida
1164:Proposed laws of Florida
830:The St. Petersburg Times
799:The St. Petersburg Times
729:The St. Petersburg Times
536:The St. Petersburg Times
248:Florida State University
17:Florida House Bill H-837
960:Perspectives on History
893:"Tattered Poster Child"
688:Auxter, Thomas (2016).
414:"Academic Freedom Wars"
1045:"HB 233 Third Reading"
477:"What Makes David Run"
183:
100:Student Bill of Rights
55:
244:University of Florida
173:
49:
449:"The Florida Senate"
273:St. Petersburg Times
117:Proposed legislation
570:The Gainesville Sun
305:Florida Legislature
279:legislative session
214:Columbia University
197:conspiracy theories
182:(pictured in 2008).
176:Columbia University
90:(a subgroup of his
54:(pictured in 2007).
1109:The Florida Senate
1052:The Florida Senate
905:on 13 January 2006
384:The Florida Senate
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1025:on 1 October 2008
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68:Republicans
36:free speech
1148:Categories
311:References
292:, and the
216:president
193:Dan Gelber
178:president
64:Democrats
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931:. 2003.
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226:Jeb Bush
162:Reaction
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42:History
1111:. 2021
386:. 2005
346:Nature
21:HB-837
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