Challenging Churchill

College Republicans stage confrontation outside class

Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 1, 2005 at midnight

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BOULDER - A small group of students at the University of Colorado confronted Ward Churchill outside his classroom Wednesday about his essay on the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

"Who do you think deserved to die?" asked Ian VanBuskirk, 23, chairman of the College Republicans.

"Why don't you circle the names?" he said as he tried to hand Churchill a marker while pointing to a large banner carried by other students that listed the names of all the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Churchill, who was surrounded by students, as he made his way to his basement office, gave a cryptic reply:

"I'll circle names when you start circling names of babies," he said to VanBuskirk.

VanBuskirk, a graduate student in accounting at CU, was among 17 members of the College Republicans who lined the hallway in Ketchum Arts and Sciences building to protest against Churchill Wednesday.

"He's become the poster child for liberal bias on campus," said VanBuskirk. "It's hard for Coloradans to realize what their kids are being taught. While Churchill is extreme, they (the university) teach kids with a liberal bias and we want a balanced education."

The students focused on a 2001 essay Churchill wrote in which he likened some Sept. 11 victims to Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. They were particularly upset over one explanation he later offered:

"It should be emphasized that I applied the 'little Eichmanns' characterization only to those described as 'technicians,' " Churchill said.

"Thus, it was obviously not directed to the children, janitors, food service workers, firemen and random passers-by killed in the 9/11 attack."

The College Republicans wanted Churchill to clarify his comment by circling the names of the victims he considered "technicians."

The protest began earlier Wednesday outside the Ketchum building, in Hawthorne Court, where several students held the banner, which included the words, "Never Forget."

Students passing by had mixed reactions to the demonstration.

"I don't understand why they're doing this now," said Kelly Getha, 18, a freshman in psychology. "I don't know what they're doing is going to help."

Bitter cold eventually drove the demonstrators indoors. Campus police approved as long as demonstrators didn't block anyone's path and were quiet.

After the confrontation with Churchill, his students were angry.

"I thought it was very disruptive of my class," said Yuzo Nieto, 23, a senior in creative writing.

"As conservatives, they should be protecting the Constitution. They should be speaking up for free speech and not protesting against it."

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