Academic freedom enters spotlight

Academic freedom at the University came under fire during 2004, with two separate incidents highlighting UNC’s struggle to preserve classroom rights without stepping on others’ toes.

On Oct. 22, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a report stating that the University responded properly to a situation in which an English lecturer sent a discriminatory e-mail that chastised a student for making anti-homosexual comments during class.

“We want to recognize the University for realizing that the lecturer’s e-mail message was an inappropriate response to the student’s comments,” the report states.

The decision marked an end to several months of deliberation and discussions of academic freedom that began when UNC English lecturer Elyse Crystall sent the e-mail to her class Feb. 6.

“We are pleased that the Office for Civil Rights’ review found that the University acted appropriately in this case,” Chancellor James Moeser stated in a release.

During the analysis process, OCR officials first investigated whether Crystall’s actions constituted an actual incident of racial or sexual discrimination.

According to a letter sent to Moeser on Wednesday, the civil rights office determined that the language in the e-mail “went beyond a permissible reference ... (of) describing the student and targeted him for criticism based in part on the student’s race and sex.”

Though OCR officials found evidence of intentional discrimination and harassment in Crystall’s actions, the group determined that no further action is required by the University to uphold constitutional protections.

Although OCR officials determined that the University was in compliance with the law, their review stressed the negative implications of intentional discrimination and harassment.

The report stated that controversies such as this “discouraged the robust exchange of ideas that is intrinsic to higher education.”

Judith Wegner, chairwoman of the faculty, said she is pleased with the outcome of the review.

“I think it was a clear finding by the Office for Civil Rights that the University had dealt with what I regarded as a mistake in the heat of a moment,” she said. “People make mistakes.”

A second round

On Nov. 15, students lined the walls of the Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library, holding signs that urged officials to reconsider accepting money from a controversial conservative think tank.

Faculty members also aired their concerns at a meeting that mostly dealt with the possible $14 million donation from the John William Pope Foundation, which would fund a proposed program in Western studies.

The protesters said they were worried that the University’s academic freedom would take a hit from the foundation, which they said could exert influence over the campus’s intellectual life.

“It would devalue education and harm the reputation of the University,” said senior Chase Foster. “Most people in academia know the Pope Foundation is against the University’s ideals.”

The Popes are the founders of the John William Pope Foundation, the John Locke Foundation and the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.

The Pope Center, which is independent from the other groups, has openly contested and criticized UNC for offering courses in women’s studies, mandating a cultural diversity requirement and selecting “controversial” books for the summer reading program.

But Bernadette Gray-Little, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, told her colleagues that the Popes have not intervened in the proposal and will not be allowed to control any curricula.

“We must say ‘no’ to funds that want to exercise that kind of influence on courses,” she said.

After the Popes proposed the donation, the Office of Development began searching for a specific program to receive the funds, and faculty members decided that a Western civilization studies program would benefit the most.

A group of faculty was charged with creating a proposal for the program to send to the Pope family. If the Popes accept the proposal, they will provide about $500,000 of funding each year for the next five years.

An assessment of the program then will determine whether the Popes will donate an additional endowment of about $12 million.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.