Fire Professor or Lose Funds, Columbia Alumni Say

Columbia Spectator ^ | 04/03/03 | Margaret Hunt Gram

[Jeff Head]

Some alumni donors are pressuring the president's office and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to fire Professor Nicholas De Genova for statements he made in last week's anti-war teach-in.

In the past few days, donors have barraged the offices with emails and phone calls, informing the University that they feel that De Genova overstepped the limits of academic free speech.

In mass-mailed email messages circulated among each other, alumni have urged each other to issue an ultimatum to the University: Fire De Genova or lose our donations.

"We've gotten a lot of calls," said Thomas Gray, who is in charge of alumni giving in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. "The people who have called have been very upset. They're proud of their college heritage, and they're very unhappy that this occurred."

CC alumnus Steve Stuart wrote an email a few days ago to over 100 alumni--whose combined "net worth," he said, is at least $250 million--asking them to express outrage to University President Lee Bollinger.

"Until he is fired, the University will suffer," Stuart said. Many of those alumni responded to Stuart's request with letters sent directly to Bollinger. Like Stuart's, nearly all of the emails issued warnings regarding the alumni's continued financial support of the University.

Frank Cicero, CC '92 and Senior Vice President of Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers, told Bollinger that he felt De Genova's presence on campus "pollutes the educational atmosphere."

That "pollution" may compel Cicero to stop contributing to the University.

"In the past, I believed that it was naive and in bad taste for alumni to withhold gifts because of the political opinions of faculty members," Cicero said in his email to Bollinger. "However, I am now considering doing just that in response to the vile and mendacious comments made by De Genova."

Donor Peter Ross, CC '87, MBA '94, and a member of the Ivory Capital Group, told Bollinger that De Genova's comments made him ashamed of the University.

"This will weigh heavily on my heart at the end of the year when I consider the financial sacrifice that I am willing to make for the University," Ross wrote.

For other alumni, the controversy has become a family matter. Vincent Butkiewicz, CC '79 and MBA '85, promised Bollinger that he would cancel the donation he made in a recent fund drive, assuring him that "you should not expect to see any donations from me nor an application for admission from any of my children until Prof. De Genova has been fired."

Peter Butkiewicz, CC '85, sent a nearly identical email. And their father, John Butkiewicz, CC '51 and a former member of the U.S. Army, informed Bollinger that he was revising his will to exclude Columbia.

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[Jeff Head]

Looks like our FR efforts are spreading, joining with others and paying off. If Columbia refuses to censor and fire e Genova, it will only get worse for Columbia IMHO.

Jeff

[goldstategop]

Bump! The only message Columbia U. will understand is the one that hurts them in their bottom line. Its about time we began taking back our great institutions of learning from the Marxist scum that have subverted them.

[Jeff Head]

FYI ... picking up steam.

[Uncle George]

I love the smell of burnt COMMIE in the morning, don't you?

[Grampa Dave]

Remember the former SLA member who had become a professor at some university, and the president played the left wing game until alums started to withholding donations and urging other alums to do the same.

[goldstategop]

Let add the Tenured Feminazis and Black Racists to the list of people who need to be purged as well.

[Desecrated]

Lecture from DeGenova on how his "free speech" is being squelched should be forthcoming shortly.

[lawgirl]

John Butkiewicz, CC '51 and a former member of the U.S. Army, informed Bollinger that he was revising his will to exclude Columbia.

I LOVE IT! I hope there are a 1000 more Mr. Butkiewicz's out there.

[Jeff Head]

Smoked out, burned and dogged for the rest of their days.

[Jeff Head]

May there be 100,000 and more!

[goldstategop]

Awww... he can go and lecture in Syria. I hear there is a great demand for his services over there. ;-)

[Jeff Head]

Yea, let them lecture ... he already showed us what his lectures are all about ... killing Americans.

[thoughtomator]

Right on. Retribution is sweet!

[rrrod]

is degenova a democRAT presidental cand.?

[bigfootbob]

Great news. This is how you get results. I hope other universities are watching.

[Jeff Head]

This guy needs the same treatment ... much worse even. May he be smoked out like the belly-draggin' oppossum he is, and then may he be burned and have the infamy of his words and actions dog him the rest of his days.

[DoughtyOne]

You know what, to heck with canning the professor, yank their charter. Put US Universities on notice that turning to the dark side is a sure way to end your institution. I am sick and damned tired of these leftist infested rat holes! I pay for them to a certain extent, and I DO NOT approve.

[AmericanInTokyo]

keep it going. don't give up till he is fired, and THEN SOME!

[3AngelaD]

Professor De Genova is going to learn one of the unpleasant truisms of real life: words and actions have consequences. This aspect of reality apparently doesn't hold as true on campus as it does elsewhere, but now reality is rearing its punitive head at Columbia.

[Jeff Head]

I hope they are too ... maybe when some of them crash down from their ivory towers of stench, and burn hard on the ground ... the others will take note and crawl back in the putrid holes that spawned them.