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]

Absoultely ... if this goes down well, they will be afriad to anyway, as they should be. Stand 'em up ... and knock 'em down.

[Budge]

29 - Beautifuly put, Zebra!

[Alberta's Child]

For all their idiotic pontificating about "academic freedom," I know from personal experience that there are few institutions more willing to sell their souls for the almighty dollar than American universities.

[Grampa Dave]

We have to remind parents with college children who might send their children to places like Columbia.

[BlueLancer]

Professor De Genova, who is untenured and teaches anthropology and Latino studies.

[blam]

Great, let's 'pile-on.'

[Grampa Dave]

Most Canadian Universities would sell their souls for the soon to be devalued Canadian $'s.

[ConservativeDude]

I must confess that I called the development office this a.m. and said politely (into the voice mail...i guess they unplugged the phone) that while I was not a Columbia grad., I was going to do whatever I could to convince all Columbia grads I know to withhold any contributions. And I was going to recruit people to help me in this effort. I said a polite thank you and hung up.

It's a pebble in the ocean, for sure...but it's a pebble.

[calvin sun]

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.

I am reminded of the old Mel Lazarus comic strip "Momma." In this particular one, the children (Thomas, Franics and the daughter) all visit her and hug her. Francis says, in fact (singing) "ain't no momma like my momma." Final panel: Momma says to the reader (in effect), "if you want a visit from your children, tell them you've made an appointment with your attorney." LOL

[Poincare]

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.

Perhaps you mean Bernadine Dohrn at the Northwestern Law School. She was a former leader of the Weathermen and she took the 5th when captured. Her husband is a professor at U of Chicago Ed School and fits right in with all the other leftists.

[Jeff Head]

That's right. That's why if this continues, it will be successful.

They have no strength to their misbegotten and vile convictions. This episode just proves both points ... their convictions are vile ... and they have no strength to them other than to corrupt our youth while they sit in their ivory towers spewing this vomit.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks. I forgot her name. I know two NW alums, who stopped all checks until she was officially fired.

Thanks for helping me here. Travis here are so more 5th columnists left over from their activites in the 1960/70's.

[Jeff Head]

Pile on ... and the ROLL ON!

[Alberta's Child]

And . . . ?

[meadsjn]

This is good to behold.

[Jeff Head]

I like this one from the son.

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.

Need tens of thousands more just like that.

[Jeff Head]

Yes it is ... perhaps the wheel is indeed turning.

[lilylangtree]

Outstanding. Keep the pressure up!

[Grampa Dave]

So why do your typical 2 incher hatred of only Americans?

[upchuck]

Jeff: Why did you not post the rest of the article which presents the other side? The last two paragraphs are particularly interesting. Here's the rest of the article...

Not all donors who have spoken on the matter have expressed dismay or issued ultimatums.

Phyllis Mailman and her family's foundation donated $33 million to the school of public health in 1998. Mailman told the New York Post that she thought Bollinger "handled it very beautifully when he certainly disavowed, personally, for the university and for himself, all of the professor's comment, but upholds his right to make them."

Joseph Sullivan, CC '86 and Law '89, is also not planning to make the University choose between him and De Genova. Sullivan, a regular donor who has been one of De Genova's most vocal opponents for the past week, says that he "would like to see De Genova fired." But he says that he will not express his discontent by threatening to stop donating to Columbia.

"I realize it's a large university, and I'm not interested in making any ultimatums," Sullivan said. "I know Bollinger has a very strong opinion regarding tolerance--he believes that it's good to let the enemy and all the kooks make their statements so you can see where they are."

Gray, and others working in the Office of University Development and Alumni Donations, said that the University would not necessarily heed ultimatums even if important donors issued them.

"They'd love for us to fire him, but it's not going to happen," Gray said. "He's protected under academic free speech."