The Orbis

Ward Churchill. Maybe you've heard of him. He is a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder who has been getting national attention for his analysis of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. In an essay written on the day of the attacks, he compared the victims in the World Trade Center bombings to "little Eichmanns," Eichmann, of course, refers to Adolph Hitler's architect of the "final solution", Adolph Eichmann.

What bothers me about the Churchill story is not so much what he said, but the response to it. The story was originally publicized when Hamilton College cancelled a Feb. 3 invitation for Churchill to speak on a free-speech panel over concern for his safety after having received multiple "threats of violence." This is the second controversy Hamilton has had to deal with after the near-hiring of Susan Rosenberg as the Kirkland Project artist/activist-in-residence for 2005. According to a Nov. 12, 2004 editorial in the Hamilton College Spectator by Blake Erb, Rosenberg "was incarcerated for a year as a result of her political activities. Political activities? Rosenberg was arrested and jailed for possessing 640 pounds of explosives, automatic weapons and blasting caps, as well as using false identification."

In response to the media furor over the discovery of what Churchill had written, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, in a letter to the CU College Republicans, wrote, "No one wants to infringe on Mr. Churchill's right to express himself. But we are not compelled to accept his pro-terrorist views at state taxpayer subsidy nor under the banner of the University of Colorado. Ward Churchill besmirches the University and the excellent teaching, writing and research of its faculty." In response to Owens, Churchill released a statement saying "I do not work for taxpayers, I do not work for Bill Owens."

Currently, the University of Colorado is working on a deal to force Churchill out with an early retirement package, but there has been a slightly ironic twist. In response Churchill has threatened to sue Gov. Bill Owens, saying that "Owens' actions are a deliberate attempt at influencing the outcome of the Regent's investigation." The Governor's office has responded by saying that "Owens is just exercising his right to freedom of speech."

I throw my hands up in outrage when I hear something like that. Owens is exercising his First Amendment rights? What about Churchill? Does he not get the same rights? While I am not defending what Churchill said, I am defending his right to say it. At a University, there should be nothing that dissuades a scholar from completely speaking his mind, even in the face of controversy. Regarding this particular situation, perhaps Hamilton College had every right to cancel an invitation for Churchill to speak, but the uproar should have ended there. The University of Colorado, in my opinion, has no right to designate, delegate or officiate the opinions within the scholarly research of its faculty. Academic freedom is of the utmost importance in a University environment. Churchill should be allowed to defend his work (because it is indeed his work), and the school and governor should stay out of the fight.

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