Columbia & Said's Dismissal

This is the official statement published by Columbia University in
response to internal demands for Edward Said's dismissal:

"On the Matter of Edward Said"
 Jonathan R. Cole
  Provost and Dean of Faculties Columbia University
  10/18/00

"On behalf of President Rupp and myself, I am responding to the
request of the Columbia College
Student Council for a statement of the administration's position in
the campus discussion surrounding Professor Edward Said. I have been
reluctant to do so until now because it seems to me --as it did at its
inception-- that the values held dear at Columbia were well known and
unambiguous and did not need reaffirmation. Nonetheless, I will do so
because from time to time it is appropriate to reiterate the
fundamental principles on which the life of any great university
depends and this may be one of those
times.

The rights and protections afforded faculty members are stated in
Section 70 of the University Statutes - that portion that discusses
"academic freedom" at Columbia:

 "Academic freedom implies that all officers of instruction are
entitled to freedom in the classroom
in discussing their subjects; that they are entitled to freedom in
research and in the publication of its
results; and that they may not be penalized by the University for
statements of opinion or associations
in their private or civic capacity; but they should bear in mind the
special obligations arising from
their position in the academic community." [The Faculty Handbook,
Columbia University, 2000, p. 184]

Professor Said's actions, as well as those of other members of the
faculty, are protected by these
principles of academic freedom. We do not believe in a speech code at
Columbia, nor shall we act as a speech police. As for the now famous
picture of Professor Said's pitching a stone across a border: to
my knowledge, the stone was directed at no one; no law was broken; no
indictment was made; no criminal or civil action has been taken
against Professor Said. We have hearsay evidence and a set of
assertions that have been denied by Professor Said in his own
statement of the facts. Whether we believe or not  that Professor Said
was engaged in protected "statements of opinion and association," the
University should not intervene. Had Professor Said been indicted in
another nation or our own it still might not be appropriate to punish
him under University conduct rules. In short, the University might not
take action against the speech or behavior of a member of the faculty
even if it were the focus of civil or criminal litigation. The
circumstances would govern the response. The same could be true for
our students.

If this current episode were in fact about throwing a stone across a
border that apparently did not
hreaten anyone, we might leave it at that. But this discussion is
really about something more basic to
the University's fabric than the tossing of a stone since, it seems to
me, if it were not for Professor
Said's well-known political views this would not have become a matter
of heated and on-going debate. This matter cuts to the heart of what
are fundamental values at a great University.

 There is nothing more fundamental to a university than the protection
of the free discourse of
individuals who should feel free to express their views without fear
of the chilling effect of a politically dominant  ideology. John
Stuart Mill in his wonderful essay, On Liberty, eloquently discusses
why it is so important to the concept of liberty for us to support the
statement of unpopular ideas that may offend or appear to threaten
one's own views:

 "If all of mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no
more justified in silencing that
one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in
silencing mankind..." [On Liberty,
Chapter II, p. 23 of the Robson edition of John Stuart Mill A
Selection of His Works]

 Ideas expressed through public speech in or outside the classroom
that may seem repugnant to us,
ideas that offend our concept of "truth," that may challenge our
biases and presuppositions, need to be protected unless they threaten
the basic fabric of order in our scholarly community.

 Therefore, the recent campus discussion surrounding Professor Edward
Said should not disturb us
unless that discussion includes calls for fettering the free exchange
of ideas or for sanctioning
Professor Said. The very thought of limiting the free speech of
Professor Said or his critics, however unpopular each position may be
to its opponents, would produce a threat to us all and to academic
freedom. Such restraints on the views of our faculty could have
long-lasting negative consequences for a revered feature of this
University: its tolerance for what the majority may feel are
opprobrious thoughts. We at Columbia did not yield --as did other
institutions--to the pressure and impulse to sanction or fire
professors who held unpopular political views during the McCarthy
period; we will not back down from our protection of the faculty's
right to express itself now.

  As for whether Professor Said occupies a protected position because
he is a University professor, the answer is "no." No special treatment
is afforded University professors in terms of their rights to
academic freedom. Each of our faculty members has the same
protections, no more, no less, than Professor Said. Edward Said is a
University Professor because he is a giant in his field of
scholarship; he has created an entire field of work. There are courses
given at other universities and books published on the work and
thought of Edward Said. His students and friends populate
distinguished positions in virtually every major university in the
world. He is one of the foremost and influential humanists and
intellectuals in the world.

He was named a Columbia University Professor, our highest academic
title, solely based on the quality
of his scholarly and teaching contributions. To have some question the
value of his work and the
appropriateness of his recognition at Columbia because they differ
with his political views, is to
lose sight of why we honor Edward Said as one of Columbia's leading
scholars. The recent discussion, with a few even suggesting that
Professor Said be dismissed from his position here, has reaffirmed my
belief that there remains real value in the original intention of
academic tenure. If we are to deny Professor Said the protection to
write and speak freely, whose speech will next be suppressed and who
will be the inquisitor who determines who should have a right to speak
his or her mind without fear of retribution?

There are policies governing behavior at Columbia where faculty and
students are treated differently.
However, in matters of academic freedom involving free speech there
are few protections that are offered one that are not offered the
other. Were allegations made against a student similar to those lodged
against Professor Said - with the same limited evidence as to intent
or consequence as is apparently available in the Said case, I would
work to protect the student's rights to freedom of statement and
action. I would not believe that it was a matter that required
University disciplinary action of any kind.

Students and faculty have the right to do many things that I may think
are not the right things to
do, but I would never exercise the authority of the University to
assure a consistent set of views to match views of those who may for
the moment occupy positions of power.

 Jonathan R. Cole October 18, 2000