"There's always potential for some bias in any number of directions, but I do not believe that there is a problem of liberal bias on campus," Carroll said. "The problem is that some conservatives view anything that goes against their beliefs as liberal bias, regardless of whether it is true or not."
The student view is also divided. 

        Some UCD students agree with Paciotti and say that faculty members show their political colors, generally blue, inside and outside the classroom. 

        Junior Darin LaFramboise, a member of the Davis College Republicans, said he "definitely" sees the politics behind his professors. 

        "You can see it in the way they present facts, specifically in [economics] classes," LaFramboise said. "I've seen a lot of antagonistic methods in the way they present the subject in the class as they're related to current events and current politics." 

        Sophomore political science major Chris Backer said he feels similarly. Last quarter, in an introductory sociology course, Backer, who calls himself politically moderate, found himself in a class with an openly Democratic professor. 

        "My teacher was just campaigning for Kerry during the election," Backer said. "Sometimes we would branch off and start talking about the election and she would show us things like videos in class about Bush's speeches." 

        Senior Alina Dini, a member of the Davis College Democrats, agrees with Backer and said she also has had professors who bring politics into the classroom. In some cases, she said she understood that it may create an uncomfortable environment for those students whose politics don?t match the professor's. 

        "Sometimes it seems that professors lecture at you and tell you what they think and in order to get a good grade you have to regurgitate it in an articulate way," Dini said. "I think if there was someone in the class with a different ideology and chose to disagree with the professor, they might not feel comfortable expressing their opinion for fear of their grade." 

        LaFramboise disagrees. 

        "I think the teachers are just voicing their opinion and anyone who follows them is simply a less informed student," LaFramboise said. "Following an instructor on their opinion is just following the crowd." 

        Paciotti said he does hint at his political leanings in the classroom, but not to the extreme of some of his colleagues. He said he tries to show sensitivity to those who disagree with his perspective and tries to maintain respect in the classroom. 

        "In my criminology class we talk about different perspectives among liberals and conservatives, and then we let the students discuss," Paciotti said. "I do give them my opinions on these perspectives, and show which data I use to support my argument. I try not to make people feel bad." 

        Some students don't see the connection between the biases of professors and students but do see a consistency in political ideologies. Senior Dinur Blum, politically moderate, said he believes the liberal bias among professors extends further into the college campus. Blum said he feels that students on campus are far more "liberal, activist and in-your-face" than the faculty. 

        Dini said she's noticed that the entire community leans a certain way. 

        "You see all the fliers, chalking and organizations on campus that are pretty progressive and it seems that the majority of Davis is very liberal," Dini said. "How can you not feel awkward being a conservative in Davis?" 

        On campus, some professors see this proposed bias as a more systematic problem, rooted in the leanings of the educational institution and not in each individual professor. 

        Paciotti suggested that conservative professors may not have the opportunities in social science departments that liberals do. 

        "All this being said, the real question is, can conservative professors get hired into liberal departments? Probably not. Is this fair? No. If discrimination exists, this should be changed," he said. 

 Senior Alex Bott said he wants to see change among the students as well. He said he advocates more public activism from members of both political sides. 

        "I'd like to see DCR all the time," Bott said. "I'd like to see DCD do more events. I don?t think they're out there enough. More political debates in the MU -- just don't see enough of that. I think [we need] to see where people, and especially college students, stand [politically]." 

        Dini said she agrees with Bott, noting that an open dialogue and an understanding of all political perspectives is important in education. 

        "I think people need to know that while it's natural to align yourself with people who think the same way that you do, it's important to learn about the other side," she said.
For a complete survey report, visit http://lsb.scu.edu/~dklein/survey/survey.htm.

CATHERINE AN can be reached at .