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Churchill at De Paul
De Paul University is presently being sued by former adjunct professor Thomas Klocek, who was suspended, defamed, and denied due process after getting into an altercation last fall with some pro-Palestinian students. The students filed a complaint against Klocek, and without ever verifying the complaint, getting Klocek's version of the story, allowing Klocek to face his accusers, or considering the basic fact that an argument is hardly an assault, De Paul relieved Klocek of his teaching duties and then proceeded to issue public falsehoods about his mental health. When De Paul offered to reinstate Klocek as a teacher in exchange for his apology, he refused. Klocek remains suspended, and his law suit is pending.
De Paul's treatment of Klocek has been deplorable. But rather than correct institutional errors, De Paul is deepening its public image as a university where hypocrisy reigns. Klocek's politics were wrong--and so he was punished severely for his sins. But Ward Churchill's politics are apparently right--even though they involve blaming the victims of the 9/11 attacks, advocating "fragging," and even, possibly, producing corrupt scholarship (the University of Colorado is presently investigating this one). Churchill is being paid to speak at De Paul today, on the subject of human rights for men of color.
Not surprisingly, De Paul administrators are not willing to explain how it is that the one individual has to be indefinitely suspended for offensive speech while the other must be paid a hefty speaking fee to come deliver offensive speech. According to Hawaii Reporter,
While the DePaul administration is actively supporting this event with student fees, they have recently punished students and faculty for exercising their own free speech rights and academic freedom by expressing viewpoints counter to Ward Churchill and his supporters, including suspending DePaul Professor Thomas Klocek (who has filed suit against the University) for entering into an argument with Muslim student groups over their anti-Semitic and anti-Israel brochures.When a concerned student, Nick Hahn, inquired of the Administration as to why Ward Churchill was invited to speak at DePaul and how he was being funded, he was met with great hostility and denied any information. Executive director of the Cultural Center, Dr. Harvette Gray, reportedly responded by saying, "I'm the Executive Director of the Cultural Center and I don't have to explain to you!" before storming out of the meeting. Hahn was then banned from entering the Cultural Center and barred from contacting Dr. Grey, under orders of Dean of Students Greg MacVarish.
The De Paul College Republicans plan to protest Churchill's visit, but they were refused permission to post flyers publicizing some of Churchill's more outrageous comments, and they have been barred from attending a workshop devoted to discussing Churchill's views.
Link via Maurice Black.
Posted by acta online on October 20, 2005 at October 20, 2005 11:46 AM
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