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Another (Short-Term?) Win for Ward Churchill

A University of Colorado misconduct committee has rejected a set of allegations that were made against Ward Churchill by the family of his late ex-wife. Churchill is once again claiming that he has won a victory, but the most serious charges against him remain alive.

The Denver Postreported Wednesday that a faculty review committee had examined and rejected charges that Churchill made inaccurate statements in the preface to a book by Leah Kelly, his ex-wife. Colorado officials are not commenting on or releasing any committee findings. But the Post article reported that the chair of the faculty panel wrote to Churchill last week, as follows: “I have concluded that these allegations, even if true, do not represent research misconduct. It is not the function of the committee to address any inaccuracies that may exist in a faculty member’s writings.”

The faculty committee could recommend that Churchill lose his tenure. But last week’s determination was the second in which Churchill has been cleared of charges. Last month, the panel rejected accusations that Churchill fabricated his ethnicity (he says that he is Native American, but many dispute that or say that his Indian ties are minimal).

Read entire article at Inside Higher Education