Churchill Blog Day 3: Hank Brown Testifies
POSTED: 10:04 am MDT March 12, 2009
UPDATED: 3:18 pm MDT March 12, 2009
DENVER -- Former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill is suing to get his job back, saying he was fired over an essay he wrote about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The school argues that he was fired because of plagiarism, fabrication and other research misconduct. 7NEWS Reporter Steve Saunders is blogging live from the trial. 9:45 a.m. Day 3 of Ward Churchill's trial is now underway. The first witness on the stand is Deward Walker. He is a professor of anthropology in Oregon, but has known Ward Churchill since the 1970s.
He says Churchill is a well respected researcher who is willing to ask the tough and dramatic questions about the federal government's treatment of ethnic minorities.Former C.U. president Hank Brown is outside the courtroom and waiting to testify.10:00 a.m.Professor Walker has finished with his testimony. The trial is now in recess.10:22 a.m.The trial has now resumed with another character witness for Ward Churchill. Former student Hillary Old told jurors that Churchill was her most significant mentor. She said Churchill provided her with a healthy discomfort and challenged her to dig deep in the way she looked at the world.10:26 a.m.Old now works in public relations in New York City. She was in New York City on the day of Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.10:37 a.m.Former C.U. President Hank Brown is now testifying. Brown recommended to the Board of Regents that they fire Churchill.11:15 a.m.Brown says he never read Ward Churchill's controversial essay.11:23 a.m.David Lane has finished his examination of Brown. The two battled at length over Brown's role in recommending that Churchill be fired. Brown said he listened closely to the input that was provided by the review and tenure committee before making his recommendation to the Board of Regents.Brown says there was no grand scheme to fire Churchill. He says it would be absurd to think that.11:38 a.m.Brown says he never told anyone connected to the investigation what to do. He says he went out of his way to make his job as president non-partisan.11:55a.m.In a long, uninterrupted explanation of his reason for firing Churchill, Brown said he felt like he had "no choice." He said Churchill's research misconduct was clearly intended and Churchill never apologized. He was also concerned that Churchill never gave any indication that he wouldn't do it again.He said the 9-11 essay had nothing to do with his decision.12:00 p.m.Court is now in recess. The trial resumes at 1:30.
Previous Stories:
- March 11, 2009: Former Governor Testifies In Ward Churchill Trial
- March 11, 2009: Churchill Trial Blog Day 2: Gov. Owens Questioned
- March 11, 2009: Churchill Trial Blog: Gov. Owens To Testify Wednesday
- March 10, 2009: Opening Arguments Set In Churchill Lawsuit Against CU
- March 9, 2009: Churchill Lawsuit Trial Begins Today
- March 5, 2009: Ayers: Churchill Victim Of 'Witch Hunt'
- March 4, 2009: Students In Standoff With CU Over Ayers, Churchill Event
- February 26, 2009: Legal Action Threatened Over Fees For Ayers' Visit
- January 13, 2009: CU Wants To Hire 'Professor Of Conservative Thought'
- October 23, 2008: Colorado Professors Join In Petition Supporting Bill Ayers
- October 3, 2007: Fired Professor Teaches Anyway
- July 25, 2007: Fight Not Over: Churchill Sues CU
- July 24, 2007: CU Board Fires Ward Churchill
- June 28, 2006: Churchill Calls CU's Move To Dismiss Him A 'Charade'
- May 16, 2006: CU Report: Churchill Committed 'Deliberate' Academic Misconduct
- March 3, 2006: Suspended Teacher Backs Off Federal Lawsuit
- August 23, 2005: CU No Longer Looking Into Churchill's Ethnicity
- August 19, 2005: CU Delays Decision On Whether To Allow Churchill Sabbatical
- May 27, 2005: Churchill Denied Teaching Award
- May 24, 2005: Churchill To Meet With CU Representatives
- May 16, 2005: Churchill Faces Deadline To Respond To Plagiarism Charges
- March 24, 2005: CU: Churchill's Essay Protected But Alleged Plagiarism Needs Further Review
Copyright 2009 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The following are comments from our users. Opinions expressed are neither created nor endorsed by TheDenverChannel.com. By posting a comment you agree to accept our Terms of Use. Comments are moderated by the community. To report an offensive or otherwise inappropriate comment, click the "Flag" link that appears beneath that comment. Comments that are flagged by a set number of users will be automatically removed.






