Hamilton College believes that open-ended and free inquiry is essential to educational growth. As our Faculty Handbook says, "The right to search for truth, to express both popular and unpopular opinions, and to criticize existing beliefs and institutions, is the foundation of intellectual life in a democratic society."
Last summer, Ward Churchill, Chair of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, was invited to campus by the Kirkland Project to give a lecture on February 3 about prisons and Native American rights. After the invitation was extended by the Kirkland Project and accepted by Churchill, statements he had made about 9/11 came to light. In response to public reaction and to our own concerns, we directed the Kirkland Project to create a forum in which to confront Mr. Churchill's views. This Thursday's panel will have four speakers, including Churchill and his wife, Natsu Taylor Saito, and Hamilton professors Rick Werner and Phil Klinkner. Speakers' views are, as always, their own.
The College has had more than 1000 e-mails and hundreds of telephone calls commenting on the event. Consistent with our commitment to the free exchange of ideas, we intend to post as many of the e-mails as possible on the College Web site. There have been calls for me to rescind the Kirkland Project's invitation to Ward Churchill and cancel the event. But there is a principle at stake, for once the invitation was extended by the Kirkland Project and accepted by Ward Churchill, it became a matter of free speech. I have also received many messages urging the college to stand by its principles.
However repugnant one may find Mr. Churchill's remarks, were the College to withdraw the invitation simply on the grounds that he has said offensive things, we would be abandoning a principle on which this College and indeed this republic are founded. Free speech is put to the test precisely in circumstances like these when the speech in question is abhorrent. As Justice Brandeis put it, "If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."
The controversy about Churchill's visit reminds us all of the pain and suffering of the 9/11 attack. Our hearts go out to all the victims of that tragic morning, and in particular to families belonging to our own College community. Rhetoric that blames the victims of this vicious attack for their fate is to me deplorable.
We anticipate a large turnout on Thursday evening and intense media coverage. This coverage is an opportunity to talk about what we stand for. My job will be to keep in touch with our community about the practical aspects of the event and to work through the logistical details to ensure safety and orderly conduct during the event. On Thursday we will have the chance to demonstrate the power of democracy. Thank you for your cooperation and your continuing support of our great College.
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