(Name-mce) ListServ [Fwd: [AFAMHED] Another Scholar Under Fire for 9/11 Views]

[Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[AFAMHED] Another Scholar Under Fire for 9/11 Views
Date: 	Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:15:54 -0400
From: 	Ray Winbush <rwinbush at USIT.NET>
Reply-To: 	Ray Winbush <rwinbush at USIT.NET>
To: 	AFAMHED at LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU


http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/08/29/woodward

The University of New Hampshire is refusing to fire a tenured  
professor whose views on 9/11 have led many politicians in the state  
to demand his dismissal.

William Woodward, a professor of psychology, is among those academics  
who believe that U.S. leaders have lied about what they know about  
9/11, and were involved in a conspiracy that led to the massive  
deaths on that day, setting the stage for the war with Iraq. The  
Union Leader, a New Hampshire newspaper, reported on Woodward’s views  
on Sunday, and quoted him (accurately, he says) saying that he  
includes his views in some class sessions.

The newspaper then interviewed a who’s who of New Hampshire  
Republican politicians calling for the university to fire Woodward.  
U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg is quoted as saying that “there are limitations  
to academic freedom and freedom of speech” and that “it is  
inappropriate for someone at a public university which is supported  
with taxpayer dollars to take positions that are generally an affront  
to the sensibility of most all Americans.”

State legislators chimed in, demanding Woodward’s dismissal and  
threatening to consider the issue when they next review the  
university’s budget. In some respects, the political reactions mirror  
those in Wisconsin, where lawmakers lined up to urge the University  
of Wisconsin at Madison to fire Kevin Barrett, who shared Woodward’s  
views and is an adjunct teaching in the fall semester. The university  
is letting Barrett’s course go ahead, although as a non-tenured  
adjunct, he has no assurance of work after this semester.

While Wisconsin conducted a study before announcing that Barrett  
would be allowed to teach, the University of New Hampshire’s reaction  
has been quick in backing its professor. There are no plans to take  
any action against Woodward and officials said it would be  
inappropriate to do so.

“What we’re saying is that we support and are committed to academic  
freedom,” said Kim Billings, a university spokeswoman. “We may not  
agree with Professor Woodward, but he is entitled to his opinion.”

In an interview Monday, Woodward said that he was gratified by the  
support. He said that he mentions his views on 9/11 maybe once or  
twice in semester-long courses he teaches on political psychology and  
the psychology of race. He said that when he discusses his views, he  
makes clear to students that his views “are controversial” and that  
most people disagree. (Local press reports, quoting students of a  
variety of political views, back Woodward’s summary of his class  
approach on the issue.)

A self-described “aging hippie,” Woodward, 61, has taught at New  
Hampshire for 31 years. He said that he’s never tried to hide his  
political views, and that he was active in protesting the Vietnam  
War. He said he’s never before had politicians demanding that he be  
fired. “It’s a little unsettling, but I am feeling empowered. I’m  
just one person — and I’m gratified if anything I could do would  
bring the discussion out into the open.”

In an e-mail, Roger Bowen, general secretary of the American  
Association of University Professors, had harsh words for New  
Hampshire politicians who are calling for Woodward to be fired.

“That some legislators apparently believe they have an obligation to  
criticize the content of faculty classroom instruction is of enormous  
concern to the AAUP. The U.S. Supreme Court has held repeatedly that  
academic freedom is a First Amendment right of professors and at  
least six federal appellate courts have followed Supreme Court  
rulings,” he said. “So long as the faculty member teaches within his  
or her discipline and is careful to teach the truth as set by the  
highest standards of scholarship within their discipline, they and  
their universities should not be subjected to political intrusions.  
This rule applies even in highly charged times like today. Professors  
outside the classroom should speak truth to power as their conscience  
dictates and inside the classroom they should speak the truths of  
their discipline. Based on the press reports I have read, it appears  
that Professor Woodward exemplifies both these professional desiderata.”

— Scott Jaschik