Texas College Grants Tenure to Marxist Professor Despite Community Protests By JAMILAH EVELYN
A Texas community college on Monday granted tenure to a self-described Marxist professor despite protests from some local residents who say the professor is a threat to the area's conservative views.
David Michael Smith, a government professor at the College of the Mainland, had written several guest columns for local newspapers, some of which questioned whether U.S. foreign policy played a role in events such as the September 11 terrorist attacks. His views had drawn the ire of some local veterans and other conservatives, one of whom is a former professor at the college, in Galveston County. The former professor, Howard Katz, led an informal group of local residents who were protesting Mr. Smith's tenure bid.
"He stands for everything I can think of that we don't want our kids taught," said Ray Holbrook, a local resident who spoke at a meeting of the college's Board of Trustees on Monday.
Homer M. Hayes, president of the 3,000-student college, said that Mr. Smith's opponents accused him of brainwashing his students and encouraging them to protest the war in Afghanistan.
"There was a distaste for his political views, which had built up over some time," said Mr. Hayes. "But what I've always heard from students is that he encourages a free exchange of ideas and, yes, that does include challenging them to think about their positions and where they stand."
Mr. Smith, whose tenure bid was supported by his departmental colleagues and by Mr. Hayes, said he does encourage students who oppose the war to protest, but denied that he brainwashes students.
"The average age of our students here is 28," he said. "These students are grown and they are very much their own people."
The college's seven-member board unanimously voted to grant Mr. Smith tenure at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, which was attended by both protesters and students who supported Mr. Smith.
Mr. Hayes called the situation "a classic demonstration of why tenure exists."
But Mr. Holbrook, a veteran and retired county judge, maintained that it's "a classic example of what's wrong with these colleges and universities." He said he will try to encourage more people who he feels reflect the community's views to run for the college's locally elected board.
"Schools are full of administrators and professors ... who are opposed to American culture and the American government. I'm just saying that there ought to be a balance," he said.