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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2004)
Virus & Spyware Removal $ $55.00 (some exceptions) See us before you buy a DELL Custom Computers Built specifically for your needs Lightspeed Computers 1033 River Road • 461-4331 The Fast Break Club invites you to women's basketball at its finest. Dec. 18 at Mac Court Oklahoma vs. Louisiana Tech 4 p.m, Ohio State vs. Oregon 6:30 p.m. Feed Your Mind & Fill Your Belly ...without emptying your wallet! "Bowls, Burritos, $■ Beyond” Fresh, home-made whole foods with lots of veggie S vegan options ...mixed with goofy artwork, snappy tunes $■ an oxygen-based atmosphere Organic Juice 6 Smoothie Bar Scrumptious Home-made Vegan Baked Goods Micro-brews on tap 760 Blair Blvd (e> 8th Ave 8 Monroe Just west of downtown) Open Mon-Sat 11-10pm; Sun 11-9pm 868-0668 Professor settles libel suit against Post columnists Douglas Card filed the lawsuit in 2003 over a 2002 column that labeled him an anti-Semitic extremist BYAYISHAYAHYA NEWS EDITOR A University professor has re solved a long process to clear his name of bias charges. Adjunct soci ology professor Douglas Card re cently settled a libel lawsuit against New York Post columnists Daniel Pipes and Jonathan Schanzer. Card said the terms of the settlement are confidential. Card said he feels like, “I got the weight of the world off my shoulders.” Card filed the lawsuit in 2003, af ter Pipes and Schanzer published an article in June, 2002 titled “Extrem ists on Campus,” that claimed Card had made anti-Semitic and anti-Is raeli statements in his “Social In equality” class. Pipes has written extensively on the Middle East and is the director of the Middle East Forum and a President Bush ap pointee to the U.S. Institute of Peace. Schanzer is a Middle East scholar, currently at The Washing ton Institute specializing in radical Islamic movements. According to the columnists’ arti cle, a student claimed Card would “bash Israel and Jews at every op portunity.” Card also reportedly called Israel “a terrorist state” and Israelis “baby-killers” during the class, and said Israel “stole land” in the class’ final exam. As part of the settlement, Pipes and Schanzer wrote a joint statement stating that they now believe that Card “does not condone extremism in the classroom.” The columnists’ conclusion is based on their assess ment of Card’s final exam, his con demnation of anti-Semitism, anti Zionism and “professors who use their classrooms to promote anti-Se mitic and anti-Israel beliefs,” and Card’s recognition of “the danger of espousing such views — particular ly on university campuses,” accord ing to the statement. Card said he had “hated anti-Semitism all my life,” in a Sept. 29, 2003 Emerald article. Card gave Pipes and Schanzer the exam in question and “they have found that the exam does not state that Israel stole land,” according to the statement. The joint statement is linked to the article on Pipes’ Web site, www.danielpipes.org. “If Mr. Pipes and I can reach a compromise, there may really be hope for Israel and Palestinians to reach a just settlement,” Card said in a press release. Card said he tried to get the columnists to retract their state ments before he filed the suit. Sev eral members of the campus and the local Jewish communities also spoke out in Card’s support. But Pipes and Schanzer initially stood by their statements, stating in a 2002 letter to the Jewish Review, a Portland newsletter, that Card had not fulfilled their requests to war rant a retraction. One of the re quests was providing them with a copy of the contentious final exam. * After the suit was filed in a Lane County Circuit Court, Pipes and Schanzer had it moved to the U.S. District Court in Eugene where they sought to dismiss it on procedural grounds, according to the release. The motion was granted, leading Card to appeal the decision in the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, before the case was settled. Card said the charges troubled him especially when he was ac cused of forcing students to agree with him. “That’s really frightful,” he said. “They don’t have to agree with any thing I say. ” He said even when facts are pre sented in controversial issues, peo ple may disagree on the details. However, professors must try to ob tain objectivity at all times in the classroom. “The key thing is to stick to the facts and show both sides,” he said. In the case of the Israeli-Palestin ian conflict, it is vital to examine both groups’ position fairly, he said. In his classes, Card said he goes so far as to bring in guest speakers to present different views. “We are professors, and a profes sor’s job is to be objective,” he said. Card also stressed the need for ac ademic freedom, saying faculty should not feel intimidated about speaking on controversial issues. “I think that the issue of academ ic freedom during this time of politi cal crises is extremely important,” he said. ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com 9/6020 Join Us Day of Action UNION RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS Friday, December 10,2004 . { 12:00- 1:00 p.m. Ben Linder Room, EMU otf Rlc Celebrating union history and workers’ rights to organize in honor of International Human Rights Day. Featured speaker is Gordon Lafer with the UO Labor Education and Research Center. Everyone Welcome! Sponsored by SEUI 503, OPEU University of Oregon Local 085. ^Cl For more information call Denise Garrett, 346-3697, or Lois Yoshishige, 346-1251. DAS bargaining starts 12/6, Higher Ed contract bargaining gears up now.
