I did not watch the Paula Zahn show but have found its transcript. Judging by Ward Churchill's performance on the show based on the transcript, he may be able to hardass his way through the mess.
As far as Hamilton College is concerned, terrorists won -- death threats came not only against Churchill but also the school president, so the school decided they couldn't guarantee security:
<blockquote>HINOJOSA: Coppo wanted him disinvited and a debate broke out on campus over Churchill's right to free speech. The national media was not far behind. And soon there were death threats against the school president and the controversial speaker.
JOAN STEWART, PRES. HAMILTON COLLEGE: At this point, the question of security outweighed the right of any particular individual to speak. And I had reluctantly to cancel the event. ("Interview With Ward Churchill; NFL Under Pressure to Conform to Decency Standards," Paula Zahn Show,<http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/04/pzn.01.html>, Aired February 4, 2005 - 20:00 ET)</blockquote>
Hamilton students, faculty, and some 9/11 victims' family members' reactions reported on the show suggest that the Right may lose this latest battle in their perpetual Culture War, as Chuck0 predicted, because the Right have gone too far for their own good and turned attacks on Ward Churchill's arguments into attacks on his person and property (his truck got vandalized with spray-painted swastikas), freedom of speech, and academic freedom:
<blockquote>HINOJOSA: Churchill's speech was canceled. But the night he was supposed to speak, students continued the debate around campus in forums closed to the media and the public who students felt had hijacked their debate. They signed a free speech banner and donned t- shirts saying the mark of an educated mind is that it can entertain an idea without accepting it.
Thomas Acampora, also lost friends and co-workers on September 11, he says he's disgusted by Churchill's writings, but wanted an opportunity to challenge him.
THOMAS ACAMPORA, STUDENT: It is at the heart of this academic community that we engage views that we don't find that hurt us, that upset us, that make us angry.
HINOJOSA: Nancy Rabinowitz that invited Churchill to the campus.
NANCY RABINOWITZ, PROFESSOR, HAMILTON COLLEGE: The irony is that this was a conversation that was to be held about the limits of dissent. And now we see the limits enforced by the terrorist threat of violence.
HINOJOSA: The debate also continued on the pages of the campus newspaper, which questioned whether a college should let violence silence speech.
BRITTEN CHASE, COLUMNIST, THE SPECTATOR: People can threaten violence now. And they can have an impact on what will be said on the college campus.
HINOJOSA: Even Matthew Coppo [whose father died in the Twin Towers] is unhappy with the outcome.
COPPO: It is the worst possible ending to this whole thing. I mean, if he had come, it almost would have been better just for we would have his free speech. And we would probably have a silent vigil just honoring everyone who died. And no violence whatsoever was -- no one wanted any violence. And for this -- for it to end this way was pretty terrible. ("Interview With Ward Churchill; NFL Under Pressure to Conform to Decency Standards," Paula Zahn Show,<http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/04/pzn.01.html>, Aired February 4, 2005 - 20:00 ET)</blockquote>
Churchill may still lose his job, though, according to University of Colorado President Betsy Hoffman's "Dear Colleagues" letter scooped by a blog: "Breaking News: Ward Churchill Probably Going Down," <http://www.legendgames.net/myblog.asp?view=plink&id=579>, February 4, 2005).
Also, the school is threatened with state funding cuts by some Colorado lawmakers if it doesn't fire Churchill.
Sexism, in contrast, is well protected by the University of Colorado:
<blockquote>At their meeting Thursday, university regents said they were determined to act against Churchill. . . . When the Boulder County prosecutor charged that Colorado football coach Gary Barnett was using "sex and drugs" to recruit 17-year-old high school football stars, the regents held endless meetings and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a detailed investigation -- and then decided that nobody needed to be disciplined.
A lawsuit by two undergraduates who say they were gang-raped by Barnett's football players and recruits is pending. After a student athlete was accused of referring to a female student by a four-letter slang term referring to part of the female anatomy, President Hoffman declared that this "c-word" can sometimes be a "term of endearment." Students and faculty denounced the president for "hate speech." The regents again took no action. (T.R. Reid, "Professor Under Fire For 9/11 Comments: Free Speech Furor Roils Over Remarks," Washington Post, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A76-2005Feb4.html>, February 5, 2005, p. C1)</blockquote>
However, Churchill appears to be well liked by his students, who may be able to defend him:
<blockquote>Among Churchill's staunchest defenders are his students.
On Thursday, dozens of them turned out to protest at the board of regents meeting, eventually shutting it down with their raucous shouting.
Even some who didn't agree with his Sept. 11 comments enjoyed his class, saying he welcomed dissent and argument.
"He's an amazing professor -- the one I will always remember," said Darrell DeFabry, 21. "I was challenged on so many levels. How often can you say that?" (David Kelly, "Angry Professor Now Is in Eye of Hurricane," <http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-churchill5feb05,0,1094922.story?coll=la-home-nation>, February 4, 2005)</blockquote>
If Churchill gets fired, he says he will sue the university. Since he is tenured, and the Right haven't so far produced any misconduct on Churchill's part in his teaching and scholarship, he can probably win in the end.
That's if the Right couldn't boondoggle any of Churchill's former students into suing him or the university for discrimination, harassment, or something like that.
At least, there is controversy in Churchill's case.
I just heard that Adrienne Anderson lost her job -- the university simply cancelled her classes! Just like that!
<blockquote>From: david.anderson at c... Date: Fri Feb 4, 2005 3:06 pm Subject: Adrienne Anderson, CU Environmental Studies teacher, fired!!!!
from Don Holmstrom, a leader of the Colo. AFL-CIO....
Dave
Good letter Dave.
FYI--with all attention focused on Churchill, the Environmental Studies Department fired Adrienne Anderson yesterday. As you know AA has been an outspoken critic of corporate polluters and defender of environmental justice and communities of color that are especially impacted by toxic contamination. She has worked with the union movement her whole career include working for the OCAW. Most recently AA worked closely with DALF on EJ issues connected to the former Gates Rubber Plant. All her reviews were glowing except one Environmental Studies Prof. who stated she is a great teacher but added he wondered how a student whose father worked for Coors or Lockheed Martin would react to her class. Not able to deny her reappointment based on lack of merit or performance, the Department simply cancelled her classes. The Ethnic Studies Department which also sponsors her classes was not notified or consulted. Barely concealing their motives, one class that was removed from the curriculum, 'Environmental Ethics" is in fact a required class for ES majors. I believe a movement of outrage is appropriate that I am willing to be a part of. I believe history will judge us by whether we stand up against such repression or remain comfortably silent. Don Holmstrom
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DemocraticLeft/message/16065></blockquote> -- Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/> * Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/> * Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/> * OSU-GESO: <http://www.osu-geso.org/> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>