I miss the days of old, way back to when I was a fresh-faced geek entering my first days of college. Back then, all we ever cared about was what was going to be had for dinner at the dining hall, whether or not we belonged at dear old CU, and why we could never seem to agree on the whether stewie says "Laugh and Cry" or "F-in Cry" during the opening credits of Family Guy. I miss not having the responsibility of explaining CU's misdeeds every time I went home to Denver for the weekend. But mostly, I miss the warm spring nights spent on campus next to Kittredge Pond.
Now, It seems that everything has turned to shit here in windy Boulder, Colorado. I have forgotten how to love, how to sing and how to take joy in the little things that bring us together as a campus community. And Ward Churchill is not to blame.
Ward has spoken a few times on campus since the 'eichmann' debacle. I haven't gone to show my support; I haven't stood up in a lecture hall and shouted "Save Ward!". All I've done is sit and think about it, for a good long month. And these are my 2 conclusions:
1)Ward is getting a bum rap. So he claimed he was a Native American and then admitted to a bunch of Native Hawaiians that he wasn't. Big deal! Have we never done worse? When is the last time I told my friends I was an 'A' student? I probably do every day. Perhaps I should walk around campus claiming to be a horse. Or lie on my census and claim that I am African-American--like Dr. Thad Tecza has admitted to doing.
2)Maybe I should learn a little about ethnic studies in general. If all it takes is a master's degree to become a department chair, then I'm totally there.
So, maybe I don't completely sympathize with Ward. But I think that he should be able to use his position to spark conversation and debate about these types of issues. And I don't think he should be censored by the Governor. What do you think?