Posted on 02/26/2005 9:27:29 AM PST by freespirited
Nearly 200 University of Colorado faculty members have bought a full-page newspaper ad demanding that school officials halt their investigation of Ward Churchill's work.
The ad is scheduled to run in Monday's Daily Camera.
It calls for an end to the 30-day review of the American Indian studies professor that school officials expect to complete by mid-March. The investigation was a response to political pressure and not based on "any prior formal complaint of specific professional or academic misconduct on his part," it said.
The statement defends Churchill's "right to speak what he believes to be the truth" based on academic freedom rules designed to prevent faculty members from being fired for unpopular views.
In a 2001 essay, Churchill appeared to sympathize with the Sept. 11 hijackers and wrote that many of the victims were not innocent because of their role in driving U.S. foreign policy. In its most controversial part, the essay compared some World Trade Center victims to a notorious Nazi.
Outrage over the essay prompted an internal review of Churchill's work.
Lawmakers who have called for Churchill's dismissal have said they're happy CU is conducting the investigation. State Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, said earlier this month that the examination shows CU is "taking a hold of the issues."
CU's Arts & Sciences Council passed a resolution Feb. 10 protesting the investigation. The ad is another step to "pressure the administration to be aware that the faculty is serious about this," said Margaret LeCompte, an education professor.
"It is going to be extremely difficult, if academic freedom is on the block, for us to hire and keep good faculty members," she said.
The petitioners paid a total of nearly $1,600 of their own money to place the ad.
LeCompte and Andrew Cowell, an associate professor of French, Italian and linguistics, said some faculty members who don't have the job security of tenure didn't feel comfortable signing the newspaper statement because of the political climate.
They said some are also avoiding controversial topics in their classrooms.
"We're all thinking twice about what we're saying," LeCompte said, comparing the climate to the McCarthy era when professors were fired for alleged communist ties.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Elizabeth Mattern Clark at (303) 473-1351 or clarke@dailycamera.com.
Nearly 200 University of Colorado faculty members have bought a full-page newspaper ad demanding that school officials halt their investigation of Ward Churchill's work.
They don't want to see the spokeman for their socialist party taken away from their Univerity.
Why not Mr. Churchill?
"It is going to be extremely difficult, if academic freedom is on the block, for us to hire and keep good faculty members," she said."
Sounds like she thinks a kook like Ward Churchill is what the students of CU deserve. Too many education degrees will do that to you every time.
Funny how the press jumps all over this sap who asked friendly questions of the president and investigates him to beat the band, but defends the free speech rights of this communist and liar.
It always comes back to ideology. Freedom of speech for me but not for thee...
"They gotta start somewhere," observed Ed, as he saw the prof's BA in PoliSci.
("Education and the Social Order?" Parody would be lost on these people.)
You are very good!
Since when did the right to free speech mean you could falsify credentials, steal other's work, lie on resumes, etc. I wonder, could he rob a bank and that be part of his free speech?
I wonder, could he rob a bank and that be part of his free speech?
I don't think that worked for the Weather Underground.
I wonder, could he rob a bank and that be part of his free speech?
I don't think that worked for the Weather Underground.
tenure was created after ww2 by leftists for leftists.
while taxpayers that support universities have virtually no job security, professors do.
ping, this is it, in the main article!
"A critical theorist trained in action research and the interactionist tradition,"
Well-known code for: leftwing anti-capitalist anti-American A-Hole.
Gee, don't break the bank!
This should be a clarion call to anyone with half a brain to start an investigation into ALL of their "work", not just Churchills.
Let's find out just what these "educators" don't want us to know about what they do.
Sounds like she's a white-hater.
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