Life at Bowdoin College became much harder after I came out of the closet—and admitted that I was a conservative.
What was supposed to be an open-minded, tolerant community suddenly became an unfriendly crowd. I lost friends and gained enemies. Professors never treated me the same. Campus became a political battlefield.
My “coming out” moment occurred in the Orient. I wrote, “A society that places an ever increasing importance on tolerance and diversity is showing an astounding level of prejudice toward Republicans.” Shortly afterward I received an email from a coach at the school with the subject line, “Welcome to Bowdoin.”  
The coach explained to me that conservatives faced certain challenges around campus. He offered encouragement and told me to keep writing, but he made it abundantly clear I was not to share his message with others or write anything about our interactions. What was he afraid of? If this seasoned Bowdoiner feared being “out-ed” as a conservative, then should I have been afraid? Despite the bizarre omen, I resolved to continue writing for the Orient.
Over the next three years, I wrote upwards of 30 columns for the paper, defending conservative principles and ideas—which is another way of saying I regularly and publicly antagonized campus’ liberal professors and students. I joined the Bowdoin College Republicans and eventually chaired the group.
One day, at the beginning of a course on U.S. History in the 19th Century, the professor asked us to explain why we enrolled in his course. “Because I love of America,” I said. The class giggled. “Why do you love America so much?” the professor asked. It was a sympathy he apparently did not share.
My peers were somewhat less restrained in their resistance to conservative ideas. For example, during a weeklong celebration of the American political tradition posters, table cards and displays were stolen or vandalized; a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush was kidnapped.
And then there was the last event I organized at Bowdoin, which was set in motion by President Mills’ 2010 convocation address. Mills told a story about a golfing partner who interrupted his backswing, spouting, “I would never support Bowdoin—you are a ridiculous liberal school that brings all the wrong students to campus for all the wrong reasons.” Mills said that he left the golf course “in despair and deep concern.” Despite this confrontation with a close-minded conservative Mills remained insistent that “[We] must be willing to entertain diverse perspectives throughout our community.”
An essay in the Spring 2011 issue of the Claremont Review of Books revealed that Thomas Klingenstein was Mills’ aforementioned golf partner.  Klingenstein claimed that Mills was incapable or unwilling to provide a solution to the problem of liberal bias—a problem Mills himself acknowledged in his convocation.
Following the article I organized a forum on diversity and open-mindedness at Bowdoin featuring Klingenstein and the NAS President Peter Wood.
The evening of the forum I ran into Mills on the Quad.
“Where are you headed?” he asked. “Tom Klingenstein’s talk,” I said. “Have fun,” he said as he turned to walk away. 
“Barry,” I called to him. He turned back. “I want you to know that I’m doing this because I think it’s in the best interest of the College. I hope this doesn’t seem malicious,” I said. 
“Well, it does,” he said—the last words he’d speak to me before I graduated.
Moments later at the talk, Klingenstein and Wood argued that Bowdoin was ideologically biased, and the Bowdoin students present denied the charge. This factual dispute culminated in the NAS report, of which every Bowdoiner is by now aware.
The study is critical of Bowdoin, and keeping an open mind will be difficult for Bowdoiners. We are proud of our College—rightfully so. We instinctively defend it and react harshly to all who impinge its reputation. However, an institution as important as Bowdoin must be able to turn criticism into a resource.
I encourage all Bowdoiners—indeed, all friends of the liberal arts—to keep an open mind toward the invaluable contribution the NAS has made to the history, culture and lore of Bowdoin College. To ignore the study would serve only to confirm that Bowdoin is not an open minded, tolerant place, but is instead a place where conformity to a rigid set of ideas is prized above the pursuit of excellence and truth.
Steve Robinson is a member of the Class of 2011.

Life at Bowdoin College became much harder after I came out of the closet—and admitted that I was a conservative.

What was supposed to be an open-minded, tolerant community suddenly became an unfriendly crowd. I lost friends and gained enemies. Professors never treated me the same. Campus became a political battlefield.

My “coming out” moment occurred in the Orient. I wrote, “A society that places an ever increasing importance on tolerance and diversity is showing an astounding level of prejudice toward Republicans.” Shortly afterward I received an email from a coach at the school with the subject line, “Welcome to Bowdoin.”  

The coach explained to me that conservatives faced certain challenges around campus. He offered encouragement and told me to keep writing, but he made it abundantly clear I was not to share his message with others or write anything about our interactions. What was he afraid of? If this seasoned Bowdoiner feared being “out-ed” as a conservative, then should I have been afraid?

Despite the bizarre omen, I resolved to continue writing for the Orient.

Over the next three years, I wrote upwards of 30 columns for the paper, defending conservative principles and ideas—which is another way of saying I regularly and publicly antagonized campus’ liberal professors and students. I joined the Bowdoin College Republicans and eventually chaired the group.

One day, at the beginning of a course on U.S. History in the 19th Century, the professor asked us to explain why we enrolled in his course. “Because I love of America,” I said. The class giggled. “Why do you love America so much?” the professor asked. It was a sympathy he apparently did not share.

My peers were somewhat less restrained in their resistance to conservative ideas. For example, during a weeklong celebration of the American political tradition posters, table cards and displays were stolen or vandalized; a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush was kidnapped.

And then there was the last event I organized at Bowdoin, which was set in motion by President Mills’ 2010 convocation address. Mills told a story about a golfing partner who interrupted his backswing, spouting, “I would never support Bowdoin—you are a ridiculous liberal school that brings all the wrong students to campus for all the wrong reasons.” Mills said that he left the golf course “in despair and deep concern.” Despite this confrontation with a close-minded conservative Mills remained insistent that “[We] must be willing to entertain diverse perspectives throughout our community.”

An essay in the Spring 2011 issue of the Claremont Review of Books revealed that Thomas Klingenstein was Mills’ aforementioned golf partner.  Klingenstein claimed that Mills was incapable or unwilling to provide a solution to the problem of liberal bias—a problem Mills himself acknowledged in his convocation.

Following the "Golf Story" article I organized a forum on diversity and open-mindedness at Bowdoin featuring Klingenstein and the NAS President Peter Wood.

The evening of the forum I ran into Mills on the Quad.

“Where are you headed?” he asked. “Tom Klingenstein’s talk,” I said. “Have fun,” he said as he turned to walk away. 

“Barry,” I called to him. He turned back. “I want you to know that I’m doing this because I think it’s in the best interest of the College. I hope this doesn’t seem malicious,” I said. 

“Well, it does,” he said—the last words he’d speak to me before I graduated.

Moments later at the talk, Klingenstein and Wood argued that Bowdoin was ideologically biased, and the Bowdoin students present denied the charge. This factual dispute culminated in the NAS report, of which every Bowdoiner is by now aware.

The study is critical of Bowdoin, and keeping an open mind will be difficult for Bowdoiners. We are proud of our College—rightfully so. We instinctively defend it and react harshly to all who impinge its reputation. However, an institution as important as Bowdoin must be able to turn criticism into a resource.

I encourage all Bowdoiners—indeed, all friends of the liberal arts—to keep an open mind toward the invaluable contribution the NAS has made to the history, culture and lore of Bowdoin College. To ignore the study would serve only to confirm that Bowdoin is not an open minded, tolerant place, but is instead a place where conformity to a rigid set of ideas is prized above the pursuit of excellence and truth.

Steve Robinson is a member of the Class of 2011.