Posted on 12/21/2005 2:07:06 PM PST by at bay
CHICAGO, December 21, 2005—A student group that protested a campus appearance by University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill has become DePaul University’s latest victim of censorship. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) intervened after the university banned its College Republicans from posting flyers protesting Churchill’s visit and actually changed its own rules to prevent the organization from attending a workshop that he would be leading.
“Just as DePaul was free to invite Ward Churchill to speak, so should its students be free to object to that invitation,” said FIRE Director of Legal and Public Advocacy Greg Lukianoff. “DePaul’s president boasts of the university’s commitment to academic freedom and free speech, but actions speak louder than words.”
Churchill, who made news earlier this year for describing victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center as “little Eichmanns,” was scheduled to lecture and lead a workshop for student groups on October 20 and 21. In protest, DePaul’s College Republicans (CRs) printed flyers that quoted some of Churchill’s controversial remarks. DePaul’s Office of Student Life banned the CRs from posting the flyers, citing a remarkably vague policy prohibiting “propaganda.” The CRs, understandably confused as to how quoting a speaker’s own words could be “propaganda,” put up some flyers anyway, leading to a formal warning from DePaul.
DePaul’s Cultural Center went even further by actually changing the attendance requirements for the Churchill-led “Multicultural Human Rights Education Workshop” to exclude the CRs. Although the event was initially advertised as open to “student organizations,” after the CRs expressed interest in attending, the Cultural Center altered its website to limit the event to “Student Organizations which are supported by the Cultural Center’s Allocation Fund,” which the CRs are not.
On November 23, FIRE wrote to DePaul President Dennis Holtschneider to protest the university’s actions, urging the Catholic institution to reject “policies that place students’ individual rights and personal integrity at the mercy of university officials who are free to censor students at will.” Holtschneider replied on December 12, incorrectly claiming that the word “propaganda” is not part of any policy at DePaul. Nevertheless, he defended DePaul’s policy, insisting that it “is enforced equally for all topics and positions. Advertisements of speakers are posted. Denunciations of speakers are not posted.” Yet FIRE’s research shows that the policy was amended to reflect this only after the College Republicans’ flyers were denied approval.
“It is immoral for DePaul to expect its students to abide by a policy that is selectively enforced, constantly shifting, and disavowed even by the university’s president,” said Lukianoff. “DePaul’s Orwellian attempts to rewrite history by changing its policies without notice—and then using the changes to retroactively justify repression—are also extremely disturbing.”
This is the second time this year that FIRE has had to intervene at DePaul. In May, Professor Thomas Klocek was suspended without a hearing after engaging in an out-of-class argument with pro-Palestinian students. Klocek is now suing DePaul for the actions the university took against him.
FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation’s colleges and universities. FIRE’s efforts to preserve liberty at DePaul University can be viewed at thefire.org/depaul.
How do I get that job???? I work for a public University here in IL and I certainly don't make that sum of money.
So the fact that it's a duplicate doesn't guarantee that we'll pull it.
Thank you for the link, though. I've added it.
I can understand why they can't.
If it will not embarrish President Bush or promote the gay and anti Christian agendas it is not allowed to happen.
CWII is just around the bend.
My wife's alma mater as well. Like you, we ignored their last mailing looking for funds.
A plagiarist, a known liar, anti American scumbag, what kind of college with any credentials at all aloow this turd to even show up on its campus. This guy isnt an intellectual he is a lying scumbag.
Locked & Loaded.
His name is Admitted Fake Indian Ward Churchill.
The rules will be changed back just in time for that.
Like you, we ignored their last mailing looking for funds.
Don't just ignore them. You could tell them how much money you were going to send them but their weak handling of Ward Churchill changed all that forever. You could tell them to take your name off the solicitation mailing list.
Tried that........never did hear why I wasn't considered for the position of Fake Indian.....my qualifications surpassed that of Ward Churchill. Fake Indian, Fake Degree, the whole thing.
My wife DID tell them to take her name off the solicitation list! Not only that she wrote a letter to Alumni Association.
What do you mean "not allowed" to protest. It's in the constitution!! You just need to change your tactics. Maybe a little civil disobedience is in order.
The students need to contact the ACLU. Their rights are being violated. I'm sure they would love to help. (Sarcasm)
ALL THIS DONE IN THE NAME OF TOLERANCE.
You might have had a better impact if you had written them a letter telling them exactly why they wouldn't be getting any of your hard-earned money...
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