Hamilton College and Lecturer in Fee Dispute

NY Times ^ | February 12, 2005 | PATRICK D. HEALY

[Pharmboy]

An emotionally charged dispute over a $3,500 honorarium has erupted between Hamilton College and a guest lecturer, whose Feb. 3 speech was cancelled after he received death threats for having criticized victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The college, in Clinton, N.Y., has been rocked by a nationally publicized controversy surrounding the lecturer, Professor Ward L. Churchill of the University of Colorado.

It began last summer when the head of a Hamilton academic program sent a speaking invitation to Professor Churchill, offering the $3,500 fee. He signed and returned an acceptance letter. Months later, Hamilton officials learned that Professor Churchill had written an essay after the Sept. 11 attacks in which he compared American foreign policy to Nazi Germany's, and referred to the dead in the twin towers as "little Eichmanns" who bore a share of the blame for United States policy and the terrorist attacks.

As word spread about the essay, thousands of students, alumni and victims' relatives urged Hamilton to rescind the invitation. Many also denounced the college for spending $3,500 to hear Professor Churchill, and some vowed to withhold donations. At first, college officials upheld the invitation, citing the principle of free speech at Hamilton. They were heartened, as well, to hear from faculty members that Professor Churchill had apparently waived his speaking fee as a peace gesture to his critics. But Professor Churchill never agreed to waive his fee, his wife, Natsu Saito, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

A Hamilton spokeswoman, Vige Barrie, said yesterday that she and the head of the program who invited Professor Churchill, Nancy Rabinowitz, had misunderstood each other about the $3,500 fee. Professor Churchill had agreed to waive his right to privacy about the amount of the fee - which was then widely reported - but not waive the fee itself, both women said yesterday.

Two days before the scheduled speech, Hamilton officials cancelled it, citing security reasons, after Professor Churchill drew more than 100 death threats and college leaders received warnings of violence.

Professor Rabinowitz had the $3,500 check sent to Professor Churchill, but college officials stopped payment. Professor Churchill still expects to be paid, his wife said; he did not return a call asking for comment. But Ms. Barrie said that the stop payment would remain while officials reviewed their options. "It's in limbo," she said. "A decision has not been made whether to pay Professor Churchill."

Several students expressed frustration yesterday that Hamilton was still embroiled in the Churchill matter. On Thursday night, Professor Rabinowitz had resigned as director of the program that invited Professor Churchill, while remaining on the faculty. In a statement, she said the blame assigned to her for the "crisis" had hurt the program.

"This whole thing has turned into such a mess," said Matthew Coppo a Hamilton sophomore whose father, Joseph J. Coppo Jr., was killed in the World Trade Center attack. In an interview yesterday, Mr. Coppo added, "I didn't want my tuition dollars paying Churchill. The college president told me he wasn't getting paid. Now he might be."

[Pharmboy]

Hmmm...so the long-haired, lying anarchist puke likes wampum.

And, the pressure seems to be getting to Hamilton College. Good.

[Jazzman1]

Kinda reminds you of another lying, anarchist named Michael Moore who detests America but basks in the very riches it provides his pathetic as*

[phredbob]

This Churchill guy needs to stick to his guns and keep the Liberal bias that is rampant at the institutions of higher learning in the forefront of the media. Churchill is making our argument for us and all we have to do is stand back and watch.

[andyandval]

Hmmm...so the long-haired, lying anarchist puke likes wampum

LOfreakinL. Perfect!

[Vision Thing]

That Churchill guy is a greedy sonofabitch.

[Pharmboy]

You just can't make this stuff up.

[Helms]

What a story this turned out to be. Thanks Matt Coppo.

[dennisw]

 

Ward Churchill's wife. Does she know or care she's married to a fake Indian?
_____________________

 

 

Natsu Taylor Saito Professor M.A. in Education, Georgia State University Law Degree, Yale Law School

Biography

Natsu Taylor Saito earned her law degree from Yale Law School and her master's degree in education from Georgia State University.

She teaches CU-Boulder undergraduate courses on American Indian Studies and race, ethnicity and the law, and a course on the immigration of racial minorities. Her research focuses on the legal and political history of race and racial subordination in the United States.

[Helms]

Ward Churchill anointed High Priest

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for posting...what a lovely couple they make. And, they don't need anyone else in order to play "Cowboys and Indians."

[squirt-gun]

The College, Churchill, and Rabinowitz all deserve each other.

Their insensitivity amounts to abuse. No thought was entertained by these people of the terrible impact this all would have on the surviuving family members of the thousands who died in the WTC.

Pure trash.

[Syncro]

:>)

[ken21]

a normal person would have resigned by now.

forget the check.

happens all the time in u.s. corporations. when someone doesn't perform, or the employers lose confidence in someone, they resign.

[mass55th]

While I don't think he deserves anything, if any money is paid, the moron who invited him (Rabinowitz) should be the one to pay the fee...out of her own pocket.

[ken21]

a review of noam chomsky's book 9.11 on amazon.com:

Chomsky condemns the attacks specifically and then suggests that the deaths are entirely the responsibility of capitalist globalization, which nonetheless he asserts is irrelevant to the September 11 actors. However, consistency is even less a priority for Chomsky than humility. Apparently, Chomsky believes that he has discovered the concept of blowback, not to mention imbalance in coverage of the perpetual Israeli-Palestinian murder-and-misery fetish.

[dennisw]

Heh. Cowboys and Indians. Touche

[freespirited]

In a statement, she said the blame assigned to her for the "crisis" had hurt the program.

Awwww. I'll bet that millions of people were hoping that the blame would KILL the damn program.

Proud to say I was one of them.

[q_an_a]

first they hire a Weather Underground convict to teach at their college then they hire an anricist...so says it higher education?

[aculeus]

The Times is going battier than usual about honorifics.

They can't say "Churchill." It must be "Professor" every blasted time.

The Mayr obituary was just as bad except it was "Doctor."

[squarebarb]

Her name sounds Japanese. Going to Google.