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Fire Professor or Lose Funds, Columbia Alumni Say
Columbia Spectator ^ | 04/03/03 | Margaret Hunt Gram

Posted on 04/03/2003 9:16:45 AM PST by 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.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alumni; antiamerican; columbia; columbiau; degenova; leftists; marxists; nicholasdegenova; proamerican
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To: Jeff Head
Another professional punished for speaking his mind. What about academic freedom? What about the First Amendment? What about the children?? Waaaahhhhhhh!!!

/liberalmindset

81 posted on 04/03/2003 10:08:30 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: ibbryn
Exactly!
82 posted on 04/03/2003 10:08:43 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Uncle George
"It smells like ... victory"
83 posted on 04/03/2003 10:09:59 AM PST by capitan_refugio
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To: Mrs. B.S. Roberts
Bunny bump!
84 posted on 04/03/2003 10:09:59 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: ibbryn
RE post 80 Columbia is not the only university imbeded with marxists and low life scum. Perhaps we should look indepth at all our colleges and Universities. I can name names but will not at this time.
85 posted on 04/03/2003 10:10:13 AM PST by southland
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To: Zebra
Bump
86 posted on 04/03/2003 10:13:53 AM PST by mel
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To: upchuck
"They'd love for us to fire him, but it's not going to happen," Gray said. "He's protected under academic free speech."

What if he had said he hoped all AIDs-infected homosexuals would die? What if he had said blacks are lazy and oversexed? What if he said abortionists are murderers and should be dealt justice? See, academic free speech depends not on being allowed to say things, but what things you say. Attack liberal, left-wing icons with the same vitriol (or even less) that he used against the US and our military will get you canned, academic free speech be damned!

Who is Gray trying to fool? Columbia supports De Gonova's comments as long as he's teaching there.

87 posted on 04/03/2003 10:14:35 AM PST by Alas Babylon!
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To: Desecrated
De Genova appeared at a University function in his role as a professor. Hence, he was not speaking as a private citizen, but in his offical role. If then he violated the University's "hate speech" codes, or other rules and regulation on professional conduct, he should be dealt with under the University's punishment system. De Genova should also be told he now has an ice cube's chance in hell of getting tenure - he'll probably leave on his own volition.
88 posted on 04/03/2003 10:14:48 AM PST by capitan_refugio
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To: Jeff Head
This is Beautiful!

Let's start compiling a list of others professors to go after. Tops on my list is Noam Chomsky at MIT!
89 posted on 04/03/2003 10:16:10 AM PST by Rockitz (After all these years, it's still rocket science.)
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To: Jeff Head; proud American in Canada
'DeGenova' defies every rhyme;
I've tried them all, plain and sublime,
But the answer's so simple:
The cancerous pimple
Deserves not a jot of my time.
90 posted on 04/03/2003 10:19:01 AM PST by Dionysius
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In the good old days, guys like this would be tarred and feathered and carried out of town on a rail.

Some traditions need to be revived.

91 posted on 04/03/2003 10:23:34 AM PST by Bon mots
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To: Jeff Head
I'm willing to take action, if I can:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/884114/posts?page=1

Can anyone help? Even if just to BUMP this until it gets noticed by the right people?

Many thanks!

92 posted on 04/03/2003 10:25:53 AM PST by Ignatz (Scribe of the Unwritten Law)
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To: rrrod
"is degenova a democRAT presidental cand.?"

Good idea...He should run...He is not much worse then the rest of the RatPack thats running.
OK OK, maybe that was a bit harsh, even for the Rats.
93 posted on 04/03/2003 10:27:21 AM PST by AlexW
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To: southland
RE post 80 Columbia is not the only university imbeded with marxists and low life scum. Perhaps we should look indepth at all our colleges and Universities. I can name names but will not at this time.

Amen to that.

94 posted on 04/03/2003 10:27:24 AM PST by agenda_express
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To: Jeff Head
Let's keep the pressure on. In fact, this is the time to redouble our efforts because the crack is beginning to appear. We can make a difference here.

If it's not been done already, can someone post an email link so our freepisms will go to the most effective party?

Leni

95 posted on 04/03/2003 10:32:25 AM PST by MinuteGal (THIS JUST IN ! Astonishing fare reduction for FReeps Ahoy Cruise! Check it out, pronto!)
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To: Dionysius
I'm going to start a thread for Friday's lighter side posts entitled "What's Your Favorite Limerick?"

I'd like to use yours.

Here's one of mine:

A goon by the name of Saddam
Decided he needed “The Bomb”.
George Bush took exception,
Saw through his deception
And dispatched him with haste and aplomb.


96 posted on 04/03/2003 10:41:09 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: Jeff Head
Fire De Genova Bttt....
97 posted on 04/03/2003 10:45:52 AM PST by firewalk
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To: Jeff Head
Oh how I wish I were a Columbia U. alum, extremly wealthy, and a heavy contributor to Columbia.

That way I could cut off my contributions and feel real good!


98 posted on 04/03/2003 10:50:03 AM PST by rundy
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To: 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.

lawgirl, don't your mean 1,000,000 more Mr. Butkiewicz's. :-)

99 posted on 04/03/2003 10:53:16 AM PST by rundy
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To: Jeff Head
Thanks for the heads up!
100 posted on 04/03/2003 10:57:52 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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