Freedom of speech is out, and the need to conform is in.
This was the message presented by "Indoctrinate U," a film written and directed by Evan Maloney, which made its college debut in Reynolds Theater Tuesday night.
The documentary examines political environments of college campuses across the country and presents interviews with students, professors and families associated with those universities to demonstrate makers' views that the modern American university has become a home to ideological conformity.
At the screening, Maloney said he hopes the stories of those interviewed in the film will inspire other people to stand up for their beliefs.
"Though it can be perilous and there can be consequences, I think that in the long run, if you fight for something you believe in, you'll look back on it and say, 'I'm glad I fought back for that,'" he said.
The film cites historical events as its basis for the political changes colleges have experienced over the years, criticizing professors' unconscious coercion of opinions congruent to their own.
"At the heart of the university is the survival of the mind and critical thinking," Producer Thor Halvorssen said after the screening. "And there is no critical thinking in a monoculture."
Maloney incorporated studies and research that show one-sided political views in faculty, revealing some university departments with as many as 30 liberal professors to one conservative professor.
"The argument [colleges] make in favor of diversity is that it opens our eyes to different perspectives," Maloney said. "But they're only interested in diversity of appearance, not intellectual diversity."
Such a desire for diversity of appearance is portrayed in the documentary through California State University's affirmative action bake sale where identical cupcakes were sold at different prices to different racial groups.
"The diversity movement is one of the most ridiculous, fraudulent things ever," Halvorssen said. "Why? Because it's easy for university officials to focus on."
"Indoctrinate U" also presents topics concerning the repression of freedom of speech in terms of flyer censorship and speech regulations created by universities to limit what students can and cannot say on campus.
Maloney said in the documentary that one student lost a lawsuit against his university for posting flyers that advertised a book with an allegedly offensive title. West Virginia University's speech regulations prevent the use of the terms "boyfriend" or "girlfriend," claiming they are too gender specific, preferring "lover" and "partner."
Junior Angela Czahor said though rightist, the film met her expectations.
"It was exactly what I expected," she said. "It confirmed a lot of the experiences that I've had. Maybe the movie didn't quite point out that these were extreme cases, but I think that it was good at bringing awareness to these crazy situations."
Sophomore Wheeler Frost, a Chronicle columnist, said the film was paradoxical in its one-sided representation of the issue of free speech.
"The attitude that you could see in the movie, the need to express all sides, just have everybody shout what they believe... is kind of at odds with what [the documentary] actually says," he said.
Maloney said he chose Duke for his first campus screening because of the University's rich history.
"I thought it was a great place because it illustrates the real-world ramifications of an ideology," he said. "When people refuse to look at any other possibilities other than their own views, what other place could you go to that has that current history that is relevant to the subject matter?"
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