It is usually my practice to refrain from public displays of religious belief. I am a professor, and I feel it would be unfair for me to use my position to sway young people in their religious journeys. The people of Wisconsin pay my salary. They expect me to help students to acquire the tools and knowledge necessary to have rewarding lives – not to expound on my personal religious beliefs.

The current dispute about RAs proselytizing in their residence halls brings back memories of my own early adulthood. I was a poor kid who never went off to college, but I did have the opportunity to live in army barracks for two years in the late 1960s.

While in the Army I taught CCD (Catholic “Sunday School”) to teenage children of military families. I also took a few courses offered on base by a local college. One of these courses, international relations, also had a chaplain major and an artillery colonel in it. As was common in the military, the major shamelessly pandered to the colonel.

By this time in my military career I had developed many questions, both moral and practical, about our actions in Vietnam. I raised some of these questions during the class. The officers were chagrined that an E-5 would question the “truth” dictated by rank. It was not an environment that encouraged learning and progress.

Near the end of the international relations class, I met the CCD director and the chaplain at a social event. He inquired how she knew me. When she explained that I was the sixth-grade CCD instructor, the chaplain got a funny look on his face. The next day she called to say I could no longer teach CCD. Religion does not easily tolerate questioning and debate.

I am always proud to say that I am a professor at the University of Wisconsin. It is a special place. The quality of our education is among the best in the country. The University creates opportunities for our students and expands the knowledge necessary for progress in many areas. Without this public university system I would still be working in the auto factory.

If we let politicians and preachers force religion into the university we risk creating a third-world caricature of a college. In his recent newspaper column, Sen. Ron Brown, R-Eau Claire, advocated just this.

Employees of the University, whether professors or RAs, should not use their positions to push their personal religious beliefs. That is not what the people of Wisconsin pay for. They pay to give their children and themselves a chance at better lives. The University can best do this by staying neutral in the matter of religion and encouraging students to ask questions and pursue knowledge.

Young is a professor of economics and chair of the economics department and a columnist for The Spectator.