University of Colorado Standing Committee on Research Misconduct
Posted on 08/21/2005 3:36:48 PM PDT by wagglebee
BOULDER - Ward Churchill's lawyer said a decision to put the professor's sabbatical on hold amounts to retribution and that he'll likely will file a federal lawsuit.
Denver lawyer David Lane responded Friday to the University of Colorado's decision to delay approval of the sabbatical pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and research misconduct against Churchill.
A subcommittee of the university's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct is expected to report its findings soon to the full committee, which would decide whether to order a full investigation of Churchill.
If it doesn't, his request for a sabbatical during the spring semester likely would be approved, CU spokeswoman Pauline Hale said.
If a full investigation is begun, Hale said a final decision on Churchill's request would be delayed until the investigation is complete.
That could take up to five months.
"If they're stopping him from taking his sabbatical, that is an adverse employment action," Lane said.
"I fully expect that as a result of this, we will end up in federal court fairly quickly."
Churchill has been scrutinized since it came to light early this year that an essay he wrote shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks likened some of the victims at the World Trade Center to a Nazi architect of the Holocaust.
Gov. Bill Owens and some legislators called for Churchill's firing. Several colleges canceled his appearances, and CU started reviewing his other writings.
University officials concluded he could not be fired for the comments, but started investigating whether the tenured ethnic studies professor was guilty of research misconduct, including plagiarism, and wrongly claimed American Indian heritage to win credibility for his scholarship.
Churchill declined to comment Friday, but previously has denied any wrongdoing. He wants time off to write a book.
Lane said requests for sabbaticals are "rubber stamped" for tenured professors.
Hale disputed that, saying sabbaticals can be requested only after six years of regular full-time service.
"The decision to delay approval (of the sabbatical decision) is based on the fact that research and scholarship are central to the purpose of sabbatical leaves," Hale said.
Speaking of "retribution", Ward has admitted to damaging state property in the hundreds of dollars as retalitation for getting speeding tickets.
I would advise Gov. Owens to not give that buffoon so much attention... He really enjoys it.
How can they be moving so slowly? Grass grows at warp speed by comparison.
pay him for the sabbatical only if he agrees to a GPS bracelet with current location published live on the internet ;)
I find it hard to believe they're actually conducting this investigation.
Churchill is too liberal even for Boulder!
The judge, quoting the legal precedent of the illegal immigrants being awarded property, has awarded the University of Colorado to Ward Churchill.
Lawyer Lane needs to understand that his client's conduct is what created the necessity of the actions by his client's employer.
In short, sit down and shut up, Herr Lane.
A lot of very large organizations don't check such things. I once worked for a very large nationwide agency in the late 1980s that had employed a number of people who claimed Masters degress and so on. When an audit was done, it was determined that, not only did these people not have M.S. or M.A. degrees; many didn't even finish undergraduate studies.
See how great unions/tenure are?
On thing that needs to go is the tenured system in colleges. If a professor is no good they should get the boot. It is worse than a union, the scum can almost never be removed. I fully expect the college to back down and give in to the worm though.
I wonder if the left will never understand that the rest of us (who don't work for the government, universities, or join leftist unions) get a few weeks of vacation and sick days every year. In the real world we don't get sabbaticals, there is work that needs to be done and taking six months off isn't an option. If I told my boss I needed to take six months off, he would need to hire someone else, this only proves how unimportant whatever courses Churchill teaches really are.
It should go before a Native American court.
I've never quite understood that term; hell I was born in this country, doesn't that make me a "native American"?
Yeah...I know...nuance is hard to see on posting. I am also a Native American (by several generations). I was trying to be a bit ironic since they don't believe Churchill has any Indian blood in him and would throw him out.
Yeah, I know, I should have added "sarcasm."
Gov Owens is afraid of Ward Churchill's shadow.
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