<p>I’ve thought about these posts, especially those decrying the liberality of higher ed, and can only reply: So what.</p>
<p>A few years back I was in the army, at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Back before we even knew the phrase “sexual orientation” etc., I was leading a small Explorer group sponsored by a local catholic church. One day, I was talking to the pastor, only to learn he was a “flaming” antiwar priest. I asked him what he was doing next to a military post? He asked me if I thought he’d accomplish more serving in Berkeley, CA, or here? I’ve never forgotten that comment. </p>
<p>Flash forward a few decades. My D started her first year of college last year. Her roommate was a conservative (maybe with a capital “C”?) evangelical from SW Kansas. You’ve never seen a bigger mismatch in terms of world view etc. (Boston liberal meets heartland conservative…). Although the roomie struggled to adjust to the big city environment and college life and eventually moved out, I had a long chat with her during parents weekend in late fall, and learned about all the community outreach and Bush campaign activity she was doing. I admire her for that, and am quite sure she has had far more impact on her community than my D. At the same time, I’m sure she has learned far more, too.</p>
<p>There is a huge risk in trying to find a community composed ONLY of like minded spirits, especially for college. There is no better way to sharpen and strengthen one’s faith, one’s moral code, one’s political philosophy than to have it challenged. And if the views are so weak that the challenge leads to change, is that bad? Isn’t that what learning, indeed growing, is about?</p>
<p>Finally, a comment about the supposed “liberalness” of higher ed faculty. This received a lot of press last fall from one side of the political spectrum. What received no press was the observation that similarly educated and incomed individuals who were not faculty had similar voting patterns. The press also zoomed in on the few elite schools who seemed to attract a certain type of inconoclastic faculty member. At the same time, there were press reports discussing how student bodies were frequently more conservative than the faculty. Keep in mind the source of the reports and any unstated objectives.</p>
<p>To the OP: Good luck in choosing a school. Look for a community within the school in which you fit, not for a monolithic student body, and I think you’ll have a much more interesting time.</p>