Columbia President feels the heat; admits receiving 15,000 emails opposing leftist professor

At an invitation-only alumni reception in Washington, DC, yesterday, Columbia University President Lee Bollinger defended his refusal to fire Nicholas deGenova, the controversial professor who called for a "million Mogadishus," while admitting the public outcry, including 15,000 emails, was hurting Columbia's reputation.

In response to an angry alumnus' question about the controversy and its negative impact on Columbia's reputation and alumni donations, Bollinger said that deGenova's remarks, which occured during a faculty-organized "teach-in" and included a claim that "U.S. patriotism is inseparable from imperial warfare and white supremacy," were "reprehensible," but claimed they were protected by the First Amendment.

Bollinger said it was vital for a university to stand up for academic freedom and that taking such a stand required protecting the right of academics to express their opinions, even if such includes advocating "murder," as he described deGenova's position. Bollinger acknowledged that such a stand was costly, volunteering that not only had he received the aforementioned 15,000 emails but that the volume of phone calls was keeping his voicemail full of messages from those demanding deGenova be fired.

So this Ivy Tower university president is feeling the heat. But Columbia's endowment is big enough that he's been able to ignore the pressure so far. Perhaps those sending Bollinger emails should cc them to Columbia trustees, as they have the final legal authority over hiring and firing at the university.

I know personally that the email campaign has reached the Alumni and the trustees. I hope that they will not give up the fight, that they will not tire, but will continue to put the pressure on.

Even worse than the Professor's Mogadishu comments, was his call for more soldiers to do what the Muslim Sgt. in the 101st did ... that is, frag their own.

In my opinion, these particular comments were seditious and should be treated as such. I believe it fits this definition:

The U.S. Sedition Act
Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the military or naval forces of the United States or advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both.

U.S. Code : Title 18 : Section 2381

De Genova is wholly unrepentant and an enemy of the traditional values and basis for our nation and our liberties. He needs to feel the weight and consequence of his actions ... Columbia can and should be a part of making that happen. It hasn't happened yet at all, and I hope and will continue to work to ensure that it does.

The Alumni and Congress are both involved now, and I hope that a more and more significant portion of Columbia's donations and funding dry up until it does.

Winning Iraqi Freedom

Jeff

I was able to do some quick research (I know how to track down lawyers, in particular ;-) and find *some* e-mail e-dresses, which are linked by each person's name on the list.

David Stern (Chair)
David Stern has been the commissioner of the National Basketball Association since February 1, 1984. Mr. Stern began his association with the NBA in 1966 as outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as general counsel and became the league's executive vice president in 1980.

Evan Davis (Vice Chair)
Evan Davis is a partner in the New York law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. He is also president of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Michael Patterson (Clerk)
Michael E. Patterson is vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. He had previously served as vice chairman of the board, chief administrative officer, executive vice president.

Lee C. Bollinger (President of the University)

José A. Cabranes
José A. Cabranes is a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, to which he was appointed in 1994. He had previously served for 15 years as a United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, the final two years as its Chief Judge.
snail-mail: 141 Church St.
New Haven, Connecticut

William V. Campbell
Mr. Campbell is chairman of the board of directors of Intuit, Inc.

Stephen Case
Stephen Case is a partner in the New York law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell.

John Chalsty Retired

Ellen Oran Kaden
Ellen Kaden is senior vice president, law and government affairs at Campbell Soup Company

Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft is Founder and Chairman of the Kraft Group of Companies based in Boston, Mass

Marilyn Laurie
Marilyn Laurie recently retired as executive vice president of brand strategy and advertising at AT&T

H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest
Gerry Lenfest is president of Lenfest Communications, a company principally involved in national satellite promotion of cable programming, digital satellite distribution, and cable advertising and market promotion.

Philip L. Milstein
Philip Milstein is president and a member of the board of directors of Emigrant Savings Bank

Joan Edelman Spero
In 1993, President Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Department of State as under secretary of economic, business, and agricultural affairs. She played a central role in formulating the administration's foreign economic policy. She also served as a top advisor on the G7 economic summits.

Savio Tung
Tung is a management committee member with the investment firm Investcorp International Inc., where he oversees the firm's global technology and telecommunication investment activities.

George Van Amson
Mr. Van Amson is an executive director and sales trading manager at Morgan Stanley Inc.

Harold Varmus
Harold Varmus, former Director of the National Institutes of Health and co-recipient of a Nobel Prize for studies of the genetic basis of cancer, has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City since January 2000.

Faye Wattleton
Faye Wattleton is the president of the Center for Gender Equality, a not-for-profit research, policy development and education institution created in 1995 to advance women's equality and full participation in society.

Richard E. Witten
Richard Witten is currently an Advisory Director of Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York City.

Dr. Clyde Wu
Dr. Clyde Y. C. Wu, an associate professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine

Here are some Trustees Emeriti

ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER
Chairman Emeritus
The New York Times Company

CHARLES F. LUCE
Chairman Emeritus
Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc.

LAWRENCE E. WALSH
Counsel
Crowe & Dunlevy

W. CLARKE WESCOE
Chairman and CEO(retired)
Sterling Drug, Inc.

CHARLES M. METZNER
Senior United States District Judge
U.S. District Court
snailmail: 38 Park Dr.
Woodstock, New York

MARTHA T. MUSE
Chairman
The Tinker Foundation, Inc.

CONNIE S. MANIATTY
Honorary Managing Director
Salomon Smith Barney

THOMAS D. FLYNN
Partner (retired)
Ernst & Young

THOMAS L. CHRYSTIE
Partner (retired)
Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

SAMUEL L. HIGGINBOTTOM, Chair Emeritus
Chairman and President (retired)
Rolls-Royce, Inc.

MICHAEL I. SOVERN, President Emeritus of the University Kent Professor of Law
Columbia University

G.G. MICHELSON, Chair Emerita

WARREN H. PHILLIPS
Director, Chairman and CEO (retired)
Dow Jones & Co., Inc.

STANLEY L. TEMKO
Senior Counsel
Covington & Burling

EDWARD N. COSTIKYAN
Counsel
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

JOHN GOELET
Goelet Corporation

HENRY L. KING, Chair Emeritus
Senior Counsel
Davis Polk & Wardwell

JERRY I. SPEYER, Chair Emeritus
President
Tishman Speyer Properties, Inc.

JOSEPH D. WILLIAMS
Chairman and CEO (retired)
Warner-Lambert Company

LIONEL I. PINCUS, Chair Emeritus
Chairman and CEO
Warburg Pincus

MARYLIN B. LEVITT
Assistant Professor
George Washington University

JOHN J. CURLEY
Chairman, President and CEO
Gannett Co., Inc.

EDWARD BOTWINICK
President
Botwinick-Wolfensohn Foundation, Inc.

EDWIN ROBBINS
Of Counsel
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

ARNOLD S. RELMAN
Professor Emeritus of Medicine and of Social Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Editor Emeritus
New England Journal of Medicine

WALTER BURKE

ANNA K. LONGOBARDO
Director, Strategic Initiatives (retired)
Unisys Corporation

MARGARET E. MAHONEY
President
MEM Associates, Inc.

MATHY MEZEY
Independence Professor of Nursing Education
New York University

PETER K.C. WOO
Group Chairman
Wheelock and Company Limited

MAUREEN A. COGAN
Children's Advocate, Philanthropist

DONALD F. McHENRY
University Research Professor of
Diplomacy and International Affairs
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

YUZABURO MOGI
President and CEO
Kikkoman Corporation

STEPHEN FRIEDMAN, Chair Emeritus
Senior Principal
MMC Capital, Inc.

JOHN E. ZUCCOTTI
Chairman
Brookfield Financial Properties

JEROME A. CHAZEN
Chairman
Chazen Capital Partners, LLC

GEORGE E. RUPP, President Emeritus of the University
President
International Rescue Committee

LAURANS A. MENDELSON
Chairman, President and CEO
HEICO Corporation

ROBERT A. MCCORMACK
Executive Vice President (retired)
Citicorp

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