The University of Wisconsin-Madison lecturer who has taught that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were an inside job was convicted in 1996 of disorderly conduct, but the university determined that should not prevent him from teaching.

According to Dane County Circuit Court records, Kevin Barrett was charged after police responded to a call from a woman who said he had punched her in the face. Barrett, who pleaded guilty and was fined, said the charge was the result of him "resisting arrest."

UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell considered the conviction when he conducted a review of Barrett this month to determine whether he was fit to teach. "During our meetings, Mr. Barrett and I did discuss some issues in his past," Farrell said in an e-mail. "I determined that these issues were personal and unrelated to his responsibilities as an instructor."