Straight prof victimized by gay student" "He needs [to remain] as PC as possible!"

While the phony indian Ward Churchill receives vociferous praise and complaint, the academy's double standards are on fulsome display when you consider the plight of UNLV pro Hans Herma-Hoppe.

For years he's used the example of gay lifestyle versus the norm of straight families to illustrate high versus low-risk lifestyles in planning for the future.

Now, a gay student took umbrtage, and the university is siding with the student against Hoppe.

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In a March lecture on economic planning, Hoppe told his money and banking class that homosexuals do not typically plan for the future. The remark prompted a student to lodge an informal complaint against Hoppe.

The incident has stirred debate over academic freedom versus academic responsibility and whether advocacy, opinions and theories have a place at the lectern.

"The reputation of the university is dramatically soiled, I would say, and I thought they would realize this and give in," Hoppe said. "I want an apology from them that they mistreated me, that they gave in to a brat who should have been told to grow up."

Hoppe also wants a letter that university officials placed in his personnel file Wednesday removed.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, who is representing Hoppe, released to the media a copy of the "nondisciplinary" letter written by Ray Alden, executive vice president and provost.

In it, Alden said Hoppe's conduct violates "standards of scholarship and instruction responsibility, as well as the accuracy obligation" established by the university system. Peer-reviewed academic literature did not support Hoppe's statements about homosexuals, Alden added. And Hoppe's alleged facts created a discriminatory environment because they were not qualified as opinions, theories or opened for debate, Alden wrote.

"That sort of attitude or policy cannot help but have a chilling effect on the speech of all professors," said Gary Peck, the ACLU of Nevada's executive director.

Hoppe, 55, a conservative libertarian economist with almost 20 years experience at UNLV, gave the lecture to about 30 undergraduates. He was describing groups that generally plan for the future and those that do not.

Very young and very old people tend not to plan for the future, he said. And couples with children tend to plan more than couples without.

Another example Hoppe gave was homosexuals, who, he said, tend to plan less for the future than heterosexuals.

Further illustrating his theory on Thursday, Hoppe said, "They (homosexuals), of course, typically do not have children, so accordingly they also have a shorter planning horizon than adults with children."

Michael Knight, the student who filed the complaint against Hoppe, said Thursday that he hoped the university's actions would deter the professor from making similar statements again.

Knight said that as a graduating senior seeking a degree in economics, he had needed to take the course and had to pay to hear such unsubstantiated opinions.

"He was stereotyping homosexuals -- we don't have any family values; we don't know how to manage our money; we basically just blow all our money immediately -- that was my take on it," said Knight, who is gay. "When the door closes and the lecture began, he needs to make sure he is remaining as politically correct as possible."

Hoppe said he clarified to the class a week later that he was making generalizations and did not mean to offend anyone. That led Knight to believe Hoppe did not take the matter seriously.

"He really didn't care about the situation at all and the fact that I felt very uncomfortable with what happened," Knight said.

Knight, who graduated in August and now lives in Seattle, said if Hoppe had prompted a classroom discussion and apologized, he would not have complained.

Hoppe, who said the theory has backing from economists worldwide, said a student always can raise a hand and start a debate.

"I don't know of any single professor who ever qualified all of his statements saying, 'This is my opinion; this is a well-established fact,' " Hoppe said. "You would never be able to give any lecture whatsoever."

The ACLU has threatened to take the matter to court unless the institution removes any reference to the controversy from his file.

A university grievance committee recommended Hoppe be docked a week's pay. But Alden's letter did not outline financial penalties, Hoppe said.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Feb-11-Fri-2005/news/25847462.html

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Yes - but he's a "gay brat" and therefere deserves our protection, unlike you "evil straight people!"

-Orson