The outrage is palpable here in Nebraska. Scott Voorhees, on station KFAB in Omaha, just predicted on his morning show that Ayers will be "dis-invited" on the pretense that the school could not guarantee his safety. He predicts that some official from the school will claim that the school has been receiving anonymous phone calls from right wing kooks threatening to blow up the school or some other such nonsense, when the real reason will be that too many alumni and large donors will have called and threatened to pull their funding of not only academic programs, but athletic programs as well.
This is a copy of the response my daughter got when she e-mailed the school:
"Sherri, thank you for your comments. Dr. Ayers was invited earlier this year for this student research conference, based on his outstanding research and scholarship in the field of education. He is highly regarded in his field and by his peers, scholars and students.
He will not talk about anything other than his research on teaching and urban school reform.
It's important that you know that we do not condone violence or any of the behaviors that Dr. Ayers engaged in 40 years ago. I can understand your strong feelings about this speaker and will pass your comments along to the dean and chancellor's office.
Kelly Bartling, manager of news"