You are 100% correct good sir. The writer of the op-ed piece is overstating the effect.
This is a hot button issue right now, especially here in Texas, where the while Pianka thing is going on. If you haven't heard about it, one of our professors was talking about how the human overpopulation on the earth is destroying the ecosystem, and that due to the nature of human sociability and mobility, that a disease could wipe our numbers out quickly, and that wouldn't exactly be bad for the environment.
The last 10 minutes of his speech were extremely satirical, and a newspaper took it way out of context, basically making it look like he is advocating using a virus to wipe out the human race for the purposes of the environment, which is not even close to what he was saying.
He has received death threats and was reported to the FBI. He was interviewed on Wednesday by the FBI for possible terrorist charges.
In my experience, the liberalism on University Campuses is overstated by people who are trying to say that its a problem. It also doesn't change many people's views on politics.
This has lately been highlighted by a book by David Horowitz, the 101 most dangerous professors or some crap like that. This great, upstading political mind appeared on none other but the 700 club, which is the great Pat Robertson's show.
He has identified a couple UT professors in this book, and I was reading an article my girlfriend showed me last night from another UT professor in the Austin American-Statesman basically calling him and Pat Robertson crazy. It was rather humerous.
The transcript of the interview is at http://www.700club.com/cbnnews/commentary/060322a.asp
Some of the highlights in my opinion include
I know my professors would love to work only 6 hours a week, have that much vacation, and get paid that much money.
Sure is hurting those Republicans, aint it?
This whole thing is blown out of proportion to make it an issue.