CU Faculty and American Indian Studies Experts to CU: Rescind the Report of the Investigative Committee
April 24, 2007 on 8:48 pm | In Analysis, SupportOn April 23, nine professors issued an Open Letter Calling on the University of Colorado to retract the Report upon which the recommendation to fire Ward Churchill is based.
According to the professors, a close reading of the Report shows “a pattern of violations” of “standard scholarly practice that are so serious” that research misconduct charges against the authors of the Report may be warranted.
After studying the May 9, 2006 Report, which the CU Investigative Committee insisted on making public in violation of University rules on confidentiality, these faculty members find that it:
* relies on a single biased source for major arguments, importing its errors or distortions;
* artificially excludes independent sources representing alternative views;
* misrepresents a Supreme Court Case to create the false appearance of authoritativeness;
* turns a scholarly debate into an indictment by arbitrarily limiting the scope of interpretation; and
* suppresses text from sources cited by Prof. Churchill, deliberately distorting them to prejudice the reader against Prof. Churchill.
The authors find the pattern of violations “serious enough to justify failing a PhD thesis, let alone an investigative report that is to serve as a basis for firing a tenured, full professor.”
They conclude that the Report “compromises . . . the integrity of the protocols and principles that protect academic freedom” and “puts any professor at risk of arbitrary dismissal.”
Click here to read the Open Letter.
Click here to read the professors’ Summary of Violations.
Click here to read their Documentary Evidence of some of the violations.
Colorado Conference of AAUP Backs Call to Rescind Report
The Executive Committee of the Colorado Conference of the American Association of University Professors called upon CU President Hank Brown to rescind the report accusing Prof. Ward Churchill of research misconduct.
Its letter of April 24, 2007 further states that if the report is not rescinded, the University has an obligation to ensure a thorough examination of the charges made by the faculty by “an independent, qualified, and unbiased panel, not by the investigating committee that made the apparent mistakes in the first place.”
It adds that “no action should be taken on the basis of the Report until this examination is completed.”
Click here to read the letter from the President of the AAUP Colorado Conference.
Attention All Students and Faculty Nationwide
As some of you may know, the investigation and firing decision of University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill is coming to a close. Students and Faculty for True Academic Freedom at CU (a group of committed people supporting dissent and critical thinking as well as Academic Freedom) need YOUR help. We are hosting an Emergency National Forum this Saturday, April 28th, 2007 to discuss Ward’s case and its implications for students and faculty here at Boulder, its impact on Indigenous Studies, and how it can be used to critique imperialism. We are reaching out to build an action network to stop the firing of Ward. If anyone can make it to Boulder, Colorado, we can put up 10 people in billets but beyond that we can tell you how to find cheap lodging in Boulder. If you cannot make it we need your support on Friday, April 27th. We are planning a national walk-out for students at noon to show that we will not be silenced and that we demand fair and equal respect for all professors. I urge you all to stand up, come together and send out press releases before the walk-out. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Kim Collins at kim4wardchurchill@yahoo.com or at 719-321-4343.
