features<strong>Hamilton</strong> History<strong>Hamilton</strong>’s recent history has highly influencedtoday’s campus climate, making it impossible tounderstand this new salary incident without taking a tripdown memory lane. “<strong>Hamilton</strong> is a deceptive lookingschool,” said Professor Bonnie Urciuoli. “It looks like abeautiful place and it looks simple, but it’s complicated.”In 2002, the Womyn’s Center invited Annie Sprinkle,a self-described prostitute-porn star turned sexologist, tocampus for a lecture on sex toys. Paquette protested thelecture, stating that it violated New York State obscenitylaws. “Academic freedom is not an absolute,” statedPaquette in a September 25, 2002 interview with theAssociated Press. “I would have to conclude that thisadministration is both intellectually and morally vapid.”Later that same year, a faculty member discoveredPresident Eugene Tobin had plagiarized some of hisspeeches and Tobin subsequently resigned. “<strong>The</strong> Boardof Trustees likedTobin very much and they didn’twant to lose him,” said Urciuoli, who noted that someboard members are said to have strong views about thefaculty members that brought Tobin’s plagiarism to theforefront.In 2004, the Kirkland Project for the Study ofGender, Society, and Culture invited Susan Rosenbergto teach a writing class entitled “Resistance Memoirs:Writing, Identity, and Change.” Rosenberg was a memberof the radical Weather Underground, and was in the midstof serving a 58-year prison term for weapons possessionwhen President Bill Clinton pardoned her in 2001. Aftervocal criticism of Rosenberg on the Hill and off, shestepped down from the appointment.A few months later, scandal would again rock thecampus. <strong>The</strong> Kirkland Project invited Ward Churchill,a professor at the University of Boulder, to speak at<strong>Hamilton</strong>. Professor Ted Eismeier did a simple Googlesearch on Churchill and discovered that Churchillhad written an essay that compared the victims of theattacks on the World Trade Center to “little Eichmanns.”Everyone from New York Governor George Pataki to FoxNews personality Bill O’Reilly weighed in on the incidentand the event was eventually cancelled due to securityconcerns.In 2006, Paquette, Bradfield, and Ambrose introducedthe charter for the AHC with enthusiastic fanfare and support fromthe administration. During the fall of 2006, however, debates over thegovernance structure for the Center derailed the project.Paquette’s account of <strong>Hamilton</strong>’s recent history is summarizedin his article, “<strong>The</strong> World We Have Lost: A Parable on the Academy,”which is published in the May 2008 issue of <strong>The</strong> New Criterion. Inthe aftermath of the disintegration of the AHC charter, Paquetteclaims he was viewed as “intransigent, paranoid, perhaps even mentallyunstable.” In response, Paquette states that “paranoia means irrationalfear. <strong>Hamilton</strong> <strong>College</strong>’s recent history, he points out, makes his fearseminently reasonable.”Next StepsMost faculty members interviewed for this article stressed theneed for more communication between the faculty, administration,and Board of Trustees and a greater degree of transparency. “<strong>The</strong>institution is a work in progress that requires good communicationamong all parties,” said Kinnel.Ward Churchill’s invitation to speak at <strong>Hamilton</strong> in 2005 wasa lesson in academic freedom. Above, a student signs aposter supporting the Kirkland Project.At the March faculty meeting, the faculty passed a motion by avote of 69-20 to have the Academic Council report to the faculty nextyear on the process for sanctions related to salary decisions, as stated inthe Faculty Handbook. “If anything comes out of this, hopefully it’s thatthe administration has learned that this is a very dangerous thing to dobecause it does have consequences which are not good,” said Williams.<strong>The</strong> Ripple EffectsNot surprisingly, receiving no raise for the 2006-2007 academicyear has done little to silence Paquette. “To think that a zero will inany way silence me is laughable,” said Paquette. “<strong>The</strong> zero was meantto provide a chilling effect, but I can make up the difference with twospeeches about the Alexander <strong>Hamilton</strong> Center. And if they do it again,I will give 10 speeches. And if they do it again, I will give 20 speeches.”Although Paquette is free to discuss this issue publicly and haswaived confidentiality, the administration and members of the facultyare limited in what they can divulge in the public sphere.“This is not being done for Bob Paquette,” said Paquette. “This isbeing done for a principle.” Most parties involved would agree.Visit contmag.com for more information on this issue and the debate surrounding the Alexander <strong>Hamilton</strong> Center.44 the continental | spring 2008
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