Houston: More liberal or conservative?

Bryophyte
Sun, 16 Apr 2006 03:47:29 +0000

As a recent graduate (Dec 05) - and a fairly liberal one, I might add - I think the campus harbors a pretty obvious political dipole. I can’t remember the numbers exactly, but a recent poll confirmed that liberals outnumber conservatives substantially, although there is a large independent/libertarian wing as well. A rather informal survey done by a student recently also showed Rice to be slightly more conservative/independent that schools of similar rank (e.g. - Emory). The reason is, of course, that this is Houston, not New York.

Nevertheless, the most important comment I feel I should include is that people are overwhelmingly content with the spirit of free speech on campus. Last year I attended a forum about religious freedom on campus including three professors (one Muslim, one Jewish and one Christian). I recall that the most conservative of these professors (the latter) considered Rice by far the most open school he’s ever been affiliated with (I think 7 schools total - including Purdue and other Tier I colleges).

So no matter where you stand politically, you’ll find many people who share your views.