8/4/2019 AAUP-Colorado Amicus Brief-Churchill 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/aaup-colorado-amicus-brief-churchill-2011 1/1

ColoradoConferenceoftheAmericanAssociationofUniversityProfessors

StatementontheTerminationofWardChurchill

(tobeincludedintheBriefof AmiciCuriaeNationalLawyersGuild,etal)

Since1915theAmericanAssociationofUniversityProfessorshasassumedtheresponsibilityofprotectingtheacademicfreedomofuniversityprofessorstoteach,research,andspeakwithoutfearofretaliationfromtrusteeswhosemotivationis

oftenpolitical.Academicfreedomensuresthatuniversitiesremainhavensforthe

expressionofideas,evencontroversialones,andassuchisnecessaryforthevery

preservationofdemocracy.Trusteesofpublic,asopposedtoprivate(or

proprietary)institutionshaveaparticularobligationtoupholdtheprinciplesof

academicfreedom;ifapublicuniversityisgoingtoaskthepublicforfinancial

support,thentheyhadbestunderstandsociety'sinterestinthefreeexchangeof

ideas.

ThefollowingpassagefromtheAAUP's1915DeclarationofPrinciplesonAcademicFreedomandAcademicTenurestates:

"Trusteescannotbepermittedtoassumetheproprietaryattitudeandprivilege,if

theyareappealingtothegeneralpublicforsupport.Trusteesofsuchuniversitiesor

collegeshavenomoralrighttobindthereasonortheconscienceofanyprofessor.

Allclaimtosuchrightiswaivedbytheappealtothegeneralpublicforcontributionsandformoralsupportinthemaintenance,notofapropaganda,butofanon-

partisaninstitutionoflearning."

Ifthelowercourts'findingsthatfacultyhavenoviablerecoursetochallenge

decisionsofthetrusteesareallowedtostand,academicfreedom,includingthetenuresystemonwhichitrests,willbenostrongerthanauniversity'swillto

protectitinthefaceofpoliticalpressurefromtrustees,legislators,andthepublic

whomaynotunderstandthenecessityofthefreeexchangeofideasinsustaininga

vitaldemocracy.

9September2011