www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2748616,00.html
David Harsanyi Denver Post Staff Writer Betsy Hoffman's self-serving and phony warning about "McCarthyism" at CU - in the middle of what should be an impartial investigation of Ward Chu rchill - was disgraceful. But if the University of Colorado president needs a genuine case of discr imination at her school, here's one: CU professor Phil Mitchell's class certainly isn't as melodramatic as our man Ward Churchill's. Surely, it's a complete riot taking one of Churchill's classes. Deciphering the feckless professor's swirling quasi-intellectual gibberis h is entertaining enough as a citizen; Mitchell never refers to "actions" or "trigger fingers" and seldom calls anyone a Nazi. As an alternative, Mitchell likes to employ facts in his history courses. Only bachelor's and master's degrees in education, as well as a doctorate in American social history from CU. He began teaching history in 1984, and in 1998, Mitchell won the prestigi ous SOAR Award for teacher of the year. Recently, William Wei, director of the Sewall Academic Program, let Mitch ell know that CU would not be renewing his contract after this year beca use "his teaching was not up to the department standards." I am clearly being closed out for political or religiou s reasons," Mitchell says. "I am one of the top-rated professors in the history of the department." Wei, hardly a conservative, says that in his perspective, "Phil is a grea t person, a good teacher and highly regarded by his students." Faculty course questionnaires confirm what students think of him. Sitting 5 feet from a pink triangle that read "Hate-Free Zone," the progr essive head of the department berated Mitchell, calling him a racist. "That would have come as a surprise to my black children," explains Mitch ell, who has nine kids, as of last count, two of them adopted African-Am ericans. Then, Mitchell had the audacity to use a book on liberal Protestantism in the late 19th century. So repulsed by the word "god" was one student, s he complained, and the department chair fired him without a meeting, he said. In time, Mitchell was reinstated but was never able to teach in the histo ry department again. "Most liberals understand the need for intellectual diversity. So Churchill may play the part, but Mitchell is the true dissenter at CU. "I stay to create enthusiasm and love for history," Mitchell says. Once, president Hoffman promised increased intellectual diversity at CU - not a purge of conservatives.
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