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(Tenured Radical)

Saturday, February 12, 2005

PROFESSOR CHURCHILL
DEMANDS PAYMENT
IN FULL



' [New York Times, February 12, 2004] An emotionally charged dispute over a $3,500 honorarium has erupted between Hamilton College and a guest lecturer, whose Feb. 3 speech was cancelled after he received death threats for having criticized victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The college, in Clinton, N.Y., has been rocked by a nationally publicized controversy surrounding the lecturer, Professor Ward L. Churchill of the University of Colorado.

It began last summer when the head of a Hamilton academic program sent a speaking invitation to Professor Churchill, offering the $3,500 fee. He signed and returned an acceptance letter. Months later, Hamilton officials learned that Professor Churchill had written an essay after the Sept. 11 attacks in which he compared American foreign policy to Nazi Germany's, and referred to the dead in the twin towers as "little Eichmanns" who bore a share of the blame for United States policy and the terrorist attacks.

As word spread about the essay, thousands of students, alumni and victims' relatives urged Hamilton to rescind the invitation. Many also denounced the college for spending $3,500 to hear Professor Churchill, and some vowed to withhold donations.

At first, college officials upheld the invitation, citing the principle of free speech at Hamilton. They were heartened, as well, to hear from faculty members that Professor Churchill had apparently waived his speaking fee as a peace gesture to his critics. But Professor Churchill never agreed to waive his fee, his wife, Natsu Saito, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

A Hamilton spokeswoman, Vige Barrie, said yesterday that she and the head of the program who invited Professor Churchill, Nancy Rabinowitz, had misunderstood each other about the $3,500 fee. Professor Churchill had agreed to waive his right to privacy about the amount of the fee - which was then widely reported - but not waive the fee itself, both women said yesterday.

Two days before the scheduled speech, Hamilton officials cancelled it, citing security reasons, after Professor Churchill drew more than 100 death threats and college leaders received warnings of violence.

Professor Rabinowitz had the $3,500 check sent to Professor Churchill, but college officials stopped payment. Professor Churchill still expects to be paid, his wife said; he did not return a call asking for comment. But Ms. Barrie said that the stop payment would remain while officials reviewed their options. "It's in limbo," she said. "A decision has not been made whether to pay Professor Churchill."

Several students expressed frustration yesterday that Hamilton was still embroiled in the Churchill matter. On Thursday night, Professor Rabinowitz had resigned as director of the program that invited Professor Churchill, while remaining on the faculty. In a statement, she said the blame assigned to her for the "crisis" had hurt the program.

"This whole thing has turned into such a mess," said Matthew Coppo a Hamilton sophomore whose father, Joseph J. Coppo Jr., was killed in the World Trade Center attack. In an interview yesterday, Mr. Coppo added, "I didn't want my tuition dollars paying Churchill. The college president told me he wasn't getting paid. Now he might be." '