What do Pomona freshmen complain about the most, after the food and the lack of sleep? ID classes, that’s what. Yes, those classes that seem like such a good idea, the ones that will introduce the wonders of the small, intimate discussion class that few institutions of higher learning can offer to freshman, have earned the scorn of many. While plenty of freshmen (me included) enjoyed their IDs, some complain that the early time and the content of the courses did not meet their expectations. Certainly, few of us, overwhelmed by the strangeness of college life, could manage to enthusiastically participate in discussions about cyborgs, Vietnam, or art, even if such topics interested us greatly.

More disturbing than the loss of sleep was the anti-intellectual content of course materials. Several of the male members of my sponsor group discovered that, to their surprise, they had oppressed women all of their lives and continued to do so even now. Furthermore, they found the course readings biased and jargon-filled, and they came to the shocking realization that they had to accept these readings as gospel truth. Instead of instructing freshmen to think for themselves, some teachers fed their students opinions.

Of course, not all the classes at any college, no matter how prestigious, will be of the same quality. Some will provide better information, some will have better teachers, and some will better suit one’s particular learning needs. But recently, a frightening trend in higher education has emerged. In the names of inclusion and liberalism, colleges and universities have permitted changes in curricula and professors. These changes, while well-intentioned, have allowed determinedly anti-scholarly forces to dominate academia.

At the forefront of these influences is a kind of feminism that, as I mentioned before, promotes misandry (man-hating) and victimhood. Western male thought, despite contributing much learning to the world, has no value because white men oppressed women and minorities throughout history. Instead, the deeds of women, who remain under the domination of men, receive a new emphasis. In this view, history should focus more on domestic aspects of life, rather than political ones. Politics is a competitive, and hence male, arena, whereas quilting is a cooperative, and hence female, arena.

By categorically rejecting anything perceived as "male," such as competition and even analytical thought, these misandrists both patronize women by insinuating that they are incapable of thinking analytically or competing with men and destroy objective learning by twisting facts. I may not speak for all women, but I know that many of us do not hate men or blame them for, well, everything that has gone wrong since the beginning of time. Nor do we wish to ignore the valuable, still relevant knowledge that those dead white males added to the canon of Western thought. As religion teachers say, love the sinner but hate the sin, or in this case, separate the idea from the man behind it.

Such nonsense does not pervade every class at Pomona, but the experiences of my friends lead me to believe that it does exist. Unfortunately, anti-intellectualism has infiltrated the curricula of many important colleges and universities. Sadder still, allowing it to persist turns students off from learning and engenders resentment towards professors.

Thus, all dissatisfied freshmen should voice their complaints in those pesky course evaluation forms we all fill out. As long as students merely grumble to themselves, the problems will only get worse. Only when students demand that their school’s curricula meet standards rather than atone for past injustices will they obtain the education for which they pay so dearly.

Pomona is worth its exorbitant tuition, but to maintain its excellent reputation it should correct the failures of some classes to supply worthwhile information. Besides, don’t freshmen deserve a little happiness, if not sleep?