Campus Report: 'Dangerous' professors not buying new Horowitz book

Jon Swihart
Staff Writer

Conservative author David Horowitz fears CU is employing a few “dangerous academics” -- and the professors he singles out don’t think he has any authority to level the allegations.

Inside the front jacket of his latest book, “The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America,” Horowitz writes that American universities are full of professors who “spew violent anti-Americanism, say they want to kill white people, and cheer on the killing of American soldiers,” among many other negative things.

Horowitz continues: “All the while collecting tax dollars and tuition fees to indoctrinate our children.” Three of these “dangerous” individuals are currently teaching at CU.

Horowitz is a Marxist-turned-conservative who writes for NewsMax.com and is the editor in chief of FrontPageMag.com, both of which are conservative publications.

He has several works to his name, including pamphlets, biographies and books.

The three CU professors listed in “The Professors” have taken issue with the book on several levels. Horowitz singles out ethnic studies Associate Professor and former Chair Emma Perez, women’s studies Associate Professor Alison Jaggar, and ethnic studies Professor Ward Churchill. Churchill is specifically singled out on the front flap of the book’s cover as a prime example of a “dangerous academic.”

Perez said the book contains several inaccuracies.

Although citations of her works were correct, she said she was misquoted at times. She added that her first name is listed incorrectly at one point in the book, appearing as “Elizabeth” instead of Emma.

Alison Jaggar wrote in an e-mail that the chapter regarding her “fails to distinguish between views that I discuss critically and views that are my own.”

She offers this example: “For instance, I explicitly dispute the view that ‘virtually all undesirable social conditions can be traced to the doorstep of capitalism.’” However, she said Horowitz associates this with her personal views in the book.

Another issue the professors have with the book is the authorship. Churchill said in an interview with The Denver Post that he does not believe that Horowitz wrote the book by himself.

“They need to withdraw the book, correct it, and give proper attribution to the co-authors,” Churchill said in his interview with the Post. Such criticism comes in spite of the fact that Horowitz already has several titles to his name.

These professors were singled out for various reasons. “The Professors” singles out Churchill as “the University of Colorado professor who compared the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks to Nazis who deserved what they got,” an issue that has been the center of controversy for more than a year.

Perez said she is listed in “The Professors” because of her statement of support for Churchill when she was chair of the ethnic studies department. She also said she does not believe Horowitz considers her expertise in Chicana and women’s studies as “real studies.”

Perez also questioned Horowitz’s authority to write the book.

“Horowitz has no PhD, has never been through a tenure system, has no academic papers, and no precise understanding of how we operate,” Perez said.

Horowitz could not be reached before press time to respond to these criticisms.

Although the professors take issue with the book, some students say these professors do teach in a somewhat radical manner. Whether this should be considered a danger is an issue in debate by many, including the student population.

“I think that there are dangerous professors (at CU), but not a majority,” freshman accounting major Brian Smith said. “The dangerous professors put teaching second and their own ideological beliefs first.”

Some consider danger to be teaching with an agenda, while others see restricted speech as an even greater menace to society, especially in the context of a college setting.

“The real danger is any kind of censorship,” Perez said. “Opinions should be voiced and debated.”

The question then becomes whether or not the students are getting to express their opinions as freely as their professors. The CU College Republicans’ Web site, www.cugop.org, has a special section for students to report teacher bias if they feel their free expression is squelched in the classroom.

“We receive hundreds of e-mails from students who are afraid to speak up in class,” said Ian VanBuskirk, chairman of the College Republicans, adding that many students fear lower grades or antagonism in class if they speak out.

Randi Lopez, a junior majoring in English and ethnic studies, said she doesn’t think Perez is one of these dangerous professors.

“I have always been able to ask any questions that come to mind,” Lopez wrote in an e-mail.

The argument over whether Horowitz’s book is a message to America or an exaggeration is an issue that is contended by students and teachers alike.

“I think I’m about as dangerous as Walt Disney,” Perez said