The University of Colorado released its report on Ward Churchill today; Chancellor Phil DiStefano gave a press conference. Michelle Malkin has lots of information.
The review concluded that Churchill couldn’t be disciplined for his post-September 11 hate speech, on the ground that it is protected by the First Amendment. It concluded that further review is required with respect to other allegations against Churchill, including research misconduct, fraudulent representations in his writings, and fraudulent misrepresentation of his own ethnic heritage.
Michelle thinks the report is a whitewash, and I haven’t read it in enough detail to disagree. It seems to me, though, that the allegations that are being pursued do get at the heart of what I think is the problem: Churchill is a charlatan, an academic fraud, a horrible teacher, a perennial hater, and, in sum, a person whose salary should not be funded by the taxpayers of Colorado, and whose ravings students at CU should not be subjected to. On the whole, this proceeding strikes me as a huge step in the direction of quality control for university professors.
Among Churchill’s many other sins, he has helped to propagate the myth that the United States Army spread smallpox among the Mandan Indians by giving them infected blankets. It is unbelievable that this canard is still being promoted and taught to unsuspecting university students. On this subject, the report says:
Professor Thomas Brown of Lamar University forwarded information alleging that a theory Professor Churchill has published as fact-that the U.S. Army perpetuated genocide
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.