Posted on 08/23/2005 2:07:23 PM PDT by neverdem
Churchill report supports dropping of ethnicity issue
The faculty committee is recommending that seven plagiarism claims be investigated further.
A committee investigating University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill recommended pursuing seven plagiarism claims against him but tossed aside allegations he misrepresented himself as an American Indian, his attorney said Monday.
The group of professors also rejected a copyright-infringement claim against Churchill in the preliminary findings, which require approval from CU's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct.
If the report is approved, the next step is an inquiry of up to five months by an ad hoc committee that will pore over Churchill's writings and call witnesses who have accused him of plagiarism.
"I'm viewing this as a huge victory for Ward Churchill," said his attorney, David Lane. "He's confident the standing committee will vindicate him."
Lane, who said the most offensive aspect of the inquiry - that Churchill has misrepresented himself as an American Indian - was thrown out, said he was pleased at that decision.
"He is not an American Kennel Club dog who needs to prove his breed," Lane said.
Lane said the report, which he declined to make public, did not conclude whether Churchill had done wrong but recommended further inquiry.
Professors on the committee are scientists and other academics who aren't experts on the topics Churchill is accused of plagiarizing, Lane said.
"The committee said, 'This is beyond our area of expertise,"' Lane said. "'We are passing this on so another committee can do a real analysis of these allegations."'
If CU pursues a more in-depth investigation, the plagiarism allegations will go to a committee including academics who are more knowledgeable about the topics of Churchill's writings.
Committee members have declined to discuss the report, saying they are bound to protect Churchill's privacy.
CU-Boulder spokeswoman Pauline Hale said the university had no comment during this preliminary phase of the investigation.
Administrators are not supposed to hear about the subcommittee's report because the full committee has an opportunity to reject it before making a final recommendation to the provost.
The full committee plans to vote on the subcommittee's report and turn it over to the provost by the end of the month, said Joseph Rosse, chairman of the standing committee.
Vernon Bellecourt, a leader of the American Indian Movement with whom Churchill has feuded, was upset the committee threw out the ethnicity issue. He called Churchill an "ethnic fraud" and accused the committee of "watering down the case against him to protect him."
But Bellecourt said he was thankful the committee at least wanted to pursue plagiarism allegations.
"However they get rid of the guy, they would be doing ethnic people a favor," he said.
Churchill is accused of misrepresenting Indian law and inaccurately citing a UCLA professor as saying the U.S. Army intentionally spread smallpox by giving infected blankets to Indians. He also is accused of plagiarizing an essay by a Canadian professor and has acknowledged ghostwriting for others.
The committee has identified seven areas of alleged plagiarism to pursue, Lane said. He declined to detail the allegations.
The investigation began because of controversy over Churchill's essay comparing World Trade Center terrorism victims to a Nazi leader. It expanded after academics charged that Churchill misrepresented Cherokee heritage and plagiarized.
The university determined that free-speech rights prevented him from being punished because of the essay, but it asked the committee to investigate other writings.
The full investigation can find misconduct, serious error or no wrongdoing. If a full investigation uncovers wrongdoing, the committee will make a recommendation on discipline to administrators, who can concur and bring it to the regents or disregard it.
Regents said they are not privy to the committee's findings. If they have a role in the investigation, it will come as the last step as they decide whether Churchill loses his tenured job at CU.
"I do believe in the process," Regent Pat Hayes said. "We need to give it the opportunity to work."
Regent Paul Schauer said he is staying out of the committee's business because he wants "the process to be thorough and proper."
Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-683-2786 or jenbrown@denverpost.com.
No victory. The world knows who he is. He is a disgrace. In his state, country, and race. Enough said.
That seems politically incorrect. Basically, he's saying that he might be a half-breed or less.
But he's also saying that he doesn't really care if Churchill lied about that.
Hmmm... Methinks this will slip away.
Same kind of 'victory' the RATS had in that recent election.
Churchill is going down, we just have to wait. He's toast.
If he's getting special treatment at taxpayer expense, he damn well better be able to prove it.
Really?
But when student apply to your University, and all US Universities, Mr. David Lane, they must check off their ethnic background on the both the admission form, and the financial aid form.
If they are Latino, African-American, Pacific Islander, or Native American--they get preferential treatment in both admission and financial aid. No? Of course they do.
If they are European-American (Caucasian) or Asian-American, they can go pound sand, because they don't have "U.S. Govt Approved Minority" stamped on their rear end.
So don't you dare lecture us Mr. Lane, about ethnicity. It is you liberals who brought it up and literally made a Federal case out of it.
Pathetic.
The dog would probably make a better professor.
Victory Not
Ridiculous isn't it. I wonder if they've seen the painting he copied a mirror image of and marketed as his own.
Work signed by Ward Churchill
Which one was done by the plagiarist?
My error, I now see which is which.
Ugh, and my error - Thomas E Mails not E Thomas Mails.
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