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NC campuses rank high on speech

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Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Written by John Hood

4As recently as 2015, nearly 60% of Americans told Gallup that they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in U.S. colleges and universities as a whole. Today, just 36% of respondents agree — not much different from the shares who say they have only “some” confidence (32%) and very little or none (32%).
And while respect for higher education has plummeted among Republicans, there have also been double-digit drops in confidence among independents and Democrats.
Contributing to American academia’s reputational decline have been highly publicized and egregious episodes of illiberalism on campus, including institutional discrimination against dissenting voices and destructive riots by antisemites and other extremists.
Not all campuses are as poorly led as the likes of Harvard and Columbia, however. In our own state, for example, free speech is the norm, not the exception, at many of our public and private campuses.
According to the latest rankings by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), North Carolina State University ranks seventh in the nation for its protection of student free speech and open inquiry. Instances of student self-censorship or intrusions on academic freedom are relatively rare at our state’s largest public university. And FIRE gives N.C. State a “green light” rating for its written policies defining and protecting free speech.
FIRE’s rankings reflect 14 components drawn from answers to student surveys. Half of them assess student perceptions of the speech climate on campus. The other half assess behavior by administrators, faculty, and students regarding free expression.
Other institutions ranking in the top quartile are the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (ninth out of 257 ranked or flagged campuses), East Carolina University (13th), UNC-Greensboro (22nd), Appalachian State University (24th), Duke University (27th), and UNC-Chapel Hill (62nd). Two other campuses, Wake Forest University (78th) and Davidson College (127th), rank in the second quartile.
What’s more, you’ll find no North Carolina-based institutions at or near the bottom of the list, which is dominated by “elite” universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, and NYU, along with several religious institutions that make no pretense of protecting free speech and academic freedom to their fullest extent.
Now, to say that many of our public and private institutions are comparatively protective of freedom, mutual respect, and the rule of law is not to say there’s no room for improvement. In addition to reporting the overall survey results, the FIRE study also presents disturbing quotes from current and former students.
“It’s scary to express my opinion in public,” said one UNC-Chapel Hill student.
“In class,” said a UNCC student, “discussions surrounding political opinions tend not to be handled very well. People don’t have open enough minds to hear another perspective so I would rather just not say anything.”
Another respondent, a student at N.C. State, said that “as a Republican, it’s hard for me to express my views to people that I know disagree with me. I feel like this goes both ways but it seems like if someone disagrees with you then you’re automatically thrown into a label, such as being racist, when in reality that’s just not the case at all.”
No matter how strong an institution’s formal or informal protections of free speech may be, some students, faculty, and visitors may feel uncomfortable expressing or criticizing certain views in public. Having taught at Duke for many years myself, I have no interest in setting unrealistic expectations or advocating impractical policies.
Nevertheless, I strongly believe that cultural norms play at least as important a role in fostering free speech and open inquiry on campus as written procedures do. To the extent that university leaders model good behavior — maintaining institutional neutrality about political subjects while encouraging robust discussion on campus among individuals speaking for themselves — they help to shape those norms.
The motto of my alma mater, Carolina, is Lux Libertas, Latin for “Light and Liberty.” For academia to regain public confidence, it must champion these core principles.

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

The Desi diaspora and American presidential politics

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Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Written by D.G. Martin

If you want to understand what has been happening in this year’s presidential contest, it will help if you know the term “Desi.”
Desi is a term used to describe or identify immigrants and other people connected to the Indian subcontinent.
Desi is not a word you would have ever needed to explain American presidential politics until the 2020 presidential election when Kamala Harris was briefly a candidate for the Democratic nomination, and then became the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee.
During her short 2020 primary campaign, voters learned that Harris’s mother was an immigrant from India and her father was a Black immigrant from Jamaica.
Harris did not make much of it, but she quietly claimed her many Desi connections.
The BBC, reporting on the convention explained, “Ms. Harris has described growing up engaged with her Indian heritage and often visited the country. Her mother also immersed her two daughters in the Black culture of Oakland, California, where she was raised, she said.”
She has a wide range of cultural and religious connections. Growing up, she attended Black Baptist churches and visited Hindu temples. She joined San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church. She is married to a Jew.
Harris’s Indian connections make her a Desi.
Still, it was Nikki Randhawa Haley, former South Carolina governor, former U.N. Ambassador, and candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, who first got my attention to the growing participation of Desis in American political life.
She was brave enough to challenge Donald Trump in this year’s Republican primaries. She also did not hide her origins as the child of immigrants from India. Although both Haley’s parents remained Hindu, she converted to her husband’s protestant religion.
Another Desi who gained attention in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries is Vivek Ramaswamy, a young wealthy businessperson whose parents were born in India.
Ramaswamy’s Yale Law School classmate, Republican vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, is married to another Yale classmate, Usha Chilukuri Vance, a practicing Hindu and definitely a Desi.
While Desis are connecting to other important leaders in both political parties, former President Donald Trump is not connecting to the Desis. But he acknowledges that he has changed his religious connection. In 2010 he said that “Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child” he “no longer identifies as a Presbyterian” and now sees himself as a nondenominational Christian.
Desis such as Harris, Haley, Vance’s wife Usha, and Ramaswamy do seem to be dominant in today’s political news.
Desis are not yet in charge of the entire country. But in our state, they have a good start
North Carolina has at least one important political Desi, State Senator Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake). His parents were Bengal immigrants.
Although he was born in Tennessee, his parents moved to Fayetteville when he was three. He attended Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, and later Davidson College, Columbia University, and finally N.C. Central University School of Law.
One other thing is clear. The Desis are still coming more and more to places like North Carolina, where high paying jobs for well-educated people are plentiful. As the Desis compete for the best jobs, they will leave some of us traditionalists behind.
And they will want a fair share of political opportunities. Both Democrats and Republicans and their families will have to adapt, too. It may be painful and challenging for some, but exciting for those who welcome the changes that newcomers bring to our country.

Editor's Note: D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch.

Greek mythology: Achilles puts his best foot forward

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Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Written by Pitt Dickey

6Howdy buckaroos, it’s time to put on the old Grecian Formula. Let’s mosey down to the Trojan War Corral to watch the showdown between Achilles and Hector. A little Greek mythology can go a long way. Like Brill Cream, a little dab will do you. Here is the highly compressed and mangled story of the importance of washing your ankles.
Achilles was born into a troubled family. His Momma was Thetis, a Sea Nymph. His Daddy was the mortal King Peleus. As a result, Achilles was half mortal and half Immortal. Achilles had the world’s most famous ankle. Gentle reader, you possess Achilles tendons as a result. Look at your feet. You can wiggle them due to your Achilles tendons. Your feet are your personal brush with Greek mythology.
Thetis was the original Mommy Dearest. There are several versions of why Achilles’ ankle became famous. Version A- Thetis wanted Achilles to become immortal and dipped him into the magic river Styx to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, she held him by his ankle while dipping him which left his ankle vulnerable to being killed. Version B- Thetis slathered ambrosia all over Achilles to protect his God half and put him on a fire to burn away his mortal half. Daddy Peleus interrupted her pyromania and saved Achilles from being toasted. This aggravated Thetis no end, causing her to abandon Achilles and his Daddy.
Version C- Thetis had a nasty habit of burning her children shortly after they were born. Peleus finally realized that even though his wife was frequently pregnant, there were no children pitter pattering around the palace. He followed her the day she gave birth to Achilles. He spotted her trying to roast Achilles like a chestnut over an open fire. Peleus yanked Achilles off the fire with only a burned foot. Peleus no longer trusted Thetis to raise Achilles without cooking him like a Toast’em Pop-Up. Like any good absentee Dad would do, he gave little Achilles with his burnt foot to be raised by the Centaur Chiron. Chiron decided to heal the burned foot. Chiron, who had no formal medical training, was resourceful for a half man/half horse. He performed the first foot transplant by digging up the corpse of Damysus, who had been the world’s fastest Giant. Chiron lopped off the Giant’s foot and attached it to Achilles left leg. This healed the burned area leaving Achilles with a vulnerable ankle.
Achilles grew up to be the world’s greatest warrior, despite his ankle secret. He ultimately got tangled up in the Greek versus Trojan War. He led the Greek navy and army to the City of Troy. The Greeks were camped outside Troy ready to be led by Achilles to whup up on the Trojans. Unfortunately, Achilles’ feelings got hurt by Agamemnon in a ruckus over a woman. Achilles started pouting and refused to leave his tent to lead the Greeks until Agamemnon apologized. Like Cartman in Southpark, Achilles wanted to pick up his football and go back to Greece quitting the war. As Cartman said, “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” The Trojans, who were led by Hector, learning of Achilles’ snit, attacked the Greeks. The Greek’s second in command was Patroclus who was perhaps, more than just a really good friend to Achilles. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Patroclus got killed in the battle with the Trojans. His death finally got Achilles fired up to return to battle.
Achilles went one-on-one with Hector. Before Achilles killed Hector, Hector asked for his body to be treated respectfully at a funeral. You would not like Achilles when he is angry. He told Hector: “My rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw.” Achilles killed Hector and dragged Hector’s body by his ankles behind his chariot to complete his diss of Hector.
As George Harrison sang: “All things must pass.” All good things, and even bad things, must come to an end. Achilles got into some more scuffles and adventures. Hector’s brother, a Dude named Paris, ultimately gets revenge by shooting Achilles with an arrow smack dab into his ankle. Achilles dies and gets sent to the Underworld. Eventually, his old buddy Odysseus visits the Underworld and runs into Achilles. He asks Achilles how things are going. Achilles is not a happy camper. He replies: “I would rather be a slave to the worst of masters, than be King of all the dead.”
What have we learned today? It is not enough to wash behind your ears. Wash your ankles. Being King of the Dead ain’t great.

(Illustration by Pitt Dickey)

Time to champion occupational choice

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Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Written by John Hood

4Over the past dozen years, North Carolina lawmakers have made our state freer, more innovative, and more prosperous. But in one critical area of policy — the freedom to change careers and enter new occupations — state leaders have made far too little progress.
The Archbridge Institute, which explores ways to help more people achieve the American Dream, has just released its latest index of state restrictions on occupational choice. By this measure, North Carolina has the 11th-worst system of regulations in the country.
The Archbridge team counted 186 instances in which it is illegal to perform a given professional task without a state license. That’s higher than the average for South Atlantic states (176.1) and the nation as a whole (174.1). The number of educational credentials, tests, waiting periods, and other non-licensing requirements North Carolina imposes on our workers is 144, again higher than the regional and national averages.
By contrast, our neighboring state of Georgia — comparable in population and many other ways — follows a much more sensible approach to occupational freedom. It has fewer licensed tasks and non-licensing requirements than we do.
Last year, its legislature also enacted a reasonably good “universal recognition” law. That means that when folks with professional licenses move to Georgia, most no longer have to invest time and money in obtaining a new permission slip from their new state to do their jobs. Georgia recognizes their prior occupational license as valid.
Our state ought to do the same. “Workers don’t lose skills when they cross state lines to live in North Carolina,” my former John Locke Foundation colleague Jordan Roberts wrote last year. “Let’s not punish them for wanting to call North Carolina home.”
You might be wondering whether occupational licensing is really that big a deal. Well, for starters, more than a fifth of workers face some sort of government-imposed licensing requirement for doing their jobs.
I’m not just talking about heart surgeons or transportation engineers designing high-traffic bridges over raging rivers. Massage therapists, cosmetologists, and many other workers providing personal services or assisting other professionals must also be licensed.
There’s little evidence that such regulations confer enough quantifiable health and safety benefits on consumers to justify their costs — which can be measured in tens of thousands of lost jobs, tens of millions of dollars a year in higher prices, and hundreds of millions of dollars in misallocated capital and other economic effects.
Here are some studies of occupational licensing released within the past few months:
• A paper in the July 2024 issue of the American Economic Journal found that higher licensing requirements in the home-improvement industry are associated with “less competition, higher prices, and no increase in demand or consumer satisfaction.”
• A paper in the August 2024 issue of Contemporary Economic Policy examined the relationship between occupational regulation and the “shadow economy” — that is, instances of consumers purchasing services outside of normal conditions and legally enforceable contracts. They found solid evidence that government licensing “leads to higher prices in the formal sector and barriers to entry into formal sector employment, therefore incentivizing individuals to migrate their demand and supply to the underground sector.”
• A new working paper from scholars as George Mason University and West Virginia University compared the effects of technological change and occupational licensing on workers. “We find that a significant share of the prediction of falling income mobility tied to automation are actually tied to changes in occupational licensing,” they concluded. “Areas that experienced labor market deregulation and high exposure to automation suffered far less than areas that did not engage in deregulation.”
• A new book from scholars at Utah State University’s Center for Growth and Opportunity summarized research detailing higher costs for consumers with little corresponding gains in the quality of goods and services delivered.
If licensing reform were something speculative, promising on paper but never tried before, I might understand North Carolina lawmakers being cautious. But if Georgia can do it, so can we. So should we.

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

Small towns and farms: Our "people estuaries"

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Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Written by D.G. Martin

4"That couldn't happen if you moved every three years."
Reynolds Price, the late novelist and Duke professor, was talking to a group at a Southern Writers Conference in Chapel Hill about memories.
Our memories are our treasures. They are who we are. Looking backwards some of us see our parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, cousins, longtime friends, teachers, preachers, and the places we knew them--home, church, school, stores, and fields. Those people and places of growing up define us. They are our anchors. They are our foundations. They are our roots. At least they are, if we have those memories — if we remember where we grew up.
But fewer and fewer of us know where we are from. The average American moves every three years. You can't let you roots grow too deep if you move that often.
If you move every three years and live in a new neighborhood where everybody else is new, Price says, you are not going to have the same kind of memories as those who grew up in one place.
Does it make a difference? I think it does. I can't prove it, but look around at the people who are making a difference in North Carolina — the best business leaders, our best political leaders, our best teachers and writers.
Don't a disproportionate number of them come from small towns and farms?
What explains their success in the development of leaders for the rest of us?
Some big city snobs would say that these leaders have had to overcome their culturally deprived backgrounds. Look at the small towns, they say, and see nothing happening, backward schools, no theaters, no big libraries, no big-time sports.
Nothing there? Nothing but the stable nurturing that creates the self-defining memories that Reynolds Price talked about.
North Carolina's small towns and rural communities are the state's "people estuaries."
Estuaries are those protected brackish waters along our coast, which, with the marshes, swamps, and backwaters, are the most efficient producers of food in the state. They are a critical link in our food chain. We often think of those areas as underdeveloped backwaters. But they are irreplaceable treasures where the richness and stability of life makes for one of the earth's most productive ecosystems.
Reynolds Price was right. Those nurturing memories that the small towns make possible are important in giving people a sense of who they are. People who have a sense of who they are become our best leaders, which may explain why small towns are so successful in producing North Carolina's leaders.
They are our "people estuaries."

Editor's note: D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch.

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