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Legal
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Tenure On TrialTenure Must Carry Responsibility.The words and actions of Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado have reminded all of us that free speech is not free nor without responsibility. While I agree that Ward Churchill has a right to his beliefs, I don’t believe he should be expressing those beliefs in a tax-supported venue. Nor do I believe that Ward Churchill’s tenure gives him the right to teach as facts his opinions and other statements that have not been proven. The tenure of Ward Churchill is troubling in many respects. First, he was given tenure over other more qualified professors. Was this because of his supposedly native American heritage or because he played the political game better? Second, he wasn’t properly vetted. It now appears that Churchill has not only plagiarized others works for profit and recognition but that he threaten at least one person with harm if he was exposed. Colorado University is not a bastion of conservative thought and teaching and it does appear to actively seek out liberal, controversial professors and in the case of Ward Churchill, the administration got much more than they bargained for. Ward Churchill’s statements make a mockery of free speech and the gift of tenure. Free speech should encourage the exchange of ideas but he refuses to entertain the possibility that anyone, even his intellectual equals, could or should disagree with him. Free speech from Churchill’s prospective appears to be the ability to say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and wherever he wants. Free speech is not the right to expound on personal beliefs regardless of the setting or the situation. If Churchill wishes to hire a hall and promote his anti-American rhetoric then he has that right but to demand that taxpayers fund his right to spread propaganda is arrogant. Tenure should not bestow the right of irresponsible actions or allow for the modification of history to suit one’s purpose and personal beliefs. Tenure should not bestow the right to teach hate. Tenure is not a license to rewrite history or to promote an ideology that promotes violence. Tenure is not about academic freedom without consequences. Tenure is in most cases a taxpayer sponsored position and should not be exempt from taxpayer critique. Tenure should not carry the same unaccountability as a federal judgeship or of a civil service worker. Tenure must have standards that not only bring respect to the professor but also lend prestige to the educational institution. Tenure should not provide the same exemptions to dismissal as a unionized worker. Tenure should encourage excellence not demagoguery. Teaching is the art of showing students how to think for themselves. Teaching is not the art of propaganda or having students parrot the teacher’s words. Ward Churchill, like many other professions, appears to have developed what I call "the Ivory Tower complex". This complex is referred to in other professions as a "God complex". Some law enforcement officers begin to believe they are the LAW and not just representatives of that law. Some Priests and pastors believe they speak for God and are, therefore, above the religion and its tenets. Some teachers begin to believe they are the Source of information, especially in their chosen fields. Teachers are susceptible to this Ivory Tower complex because of the power and authority they wield in their classrooms and because some students tend to idolize their teacher. This Ivory Tower complex seeps in because the teacher can make or break a life by how he or she grades the student. Power that some students will try to co-opt by telling the teacher what they want to hear and in some cases my offering the student’s youth to the teacher. Tenure should be difficult to attain; however, once achieved, there should be incentives for that professor to continue to learn, to continue to strive. Tenure should not be a gift of worry-free job security. Tenure should be a reward for past achievements and performances and it should not become a refuge for the lazy and the unmotivated. Tenure should not be a lifetime gift but should require some effort and accountability to retain. Perhaps tenure should be granted in levels with trial periods. Even better, maybe it’s time to place tenure in the hands of our elected officials rather than in administrators that can then force the faculty to conform to their beliefs and viewpoints. At least with elected officials, the people could have some control over the teachers and the subjects taught in tax-supported institutions of learning.
Author: Don Miller
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2005 Articles |
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