(José Niño, Headline USA) An Arizona State University professor found himself penalized in his yearly performance evaluation over allegations of “bias” and “slant” toward Christianity stemming from his instruction on theologian Thomas Aquinas and classroom inquiries about the “highest good,” The College Fix reported.
Owen Anderson, who has been an outspoken critic of ASU’s diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements, instructed two sections of Religions of the World as well as Introduction to Ethics and Issues in Death and Dying within ASU’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies throughout 2025.
Students gave his Religions of the World sections favorable marks of 4.7 and 4.45 out of 5, while his remaining courses received notably weaker scores of 4.2 and 3.38. Anderson informed The College Fix that 3.38 is “well-below the college mean.”
School Director Miriam Mara authored the review and pointed to anonymous student grievances as a significant consideration. According to documents The College Fix examined, one student wrote, “Although I agree with what Owen Anderson teaches, I completely understand if people feel offended after taking his class.”
A second student objected, “If I were a Hindu or Buddhist, and truly believed in reincarnation, I would be offended if I were asked to denounce it.” A third suggested that “grades are based on using the term ‘god’ and thus having the correct religious view.”
Director Mara determined that “such implications are sobering, and it would be helpful if Professor Anderson found a way to address these considerations from students in his courses going forward.”
Anderson disputed the evaluation with The College Fix, asserting these student accusations arrived with scant evidence. He explained that the review should have adhered to an objective rubric calculating points from particular activities to generate a score, but Director Mara strayed from this methodology.
Anderson challenged the decision with Todd Sandrin, dean of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. The dean sustained the evaluation, pointing to Anderson’s course materials and assessments as exhibiting “unqualified normative language.” The dean identified questions like “What is the highest good?” and exam prompts requesting students explain how St. Thomas Aquinas would respond to philosophical inquiries. Dean Sandrin additionally took issue with the true or false statement “Death should not make us think about life.”
No additional avenue exists for Anderson to contest the ruling. “[Dr. Sandrin] is the last level of appeal for me at ASU,” Anderson stated. “The dean just gets to give me this review and move on and the record shows that my classes are slanted toward Christianity.”
Anderson observed that official course descriptions for both Religions of the World and Death and Dying specifically incorporate Bible study, while Introduction to Ethics addresses major Christian ethical frameworks together with secular alternatives.
“I believe this is overt discrimination against me,” he informed The College Fix.
Peter Wood, who leads the National Association of Scholars, expressed concern to The College Fix that he is “puzzled that the University seems to have done nothing to determine whether the complaints were valid.”
“A professor teaching in a secular university about religion inevitably will irritate some students because students bring with them strong sensitivities on these matters. That doesn’t mean the professor is ‘biased,'” Wood explained. “Bias implies that he grants special favor to his own views.”
ASU failed to respond to repeated requests for comment.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
