Saturday, July 21, 2007

We can only hope

Churchill expects to be fired

University of Colorado regents will decide whether to fire professor Ward Churchill after a special meeting and hearing Tuesday. Here’s how the day is scheduled:

8 a.m.: The Board of Regents will meet in public in the University Memorial Center to announce it will go into executive session, behind closed doors.

8:15 a.m. until at least 4 p.m.: In private, regents will be briefed by the board’s attorneys before holding a hearing.

The hearing will include arguments from Churchill and his attorney; university counsel; and the counsel representing CU’s Privilege and Tenure Committee. Each party will have a set amount of time to present its case to the board. Regents can ask questions, but no new evidence can be presented.

The regents will then deliberate.

4 p.m. or later: Regents will meet again in public session in the UMC’s Glenn Miller Ballroom to vote on CU President Hank Brown’s recommendation that Churchill be fired.

Video of the meeting will be streamed online at http://www.cu.edu.

After the meeting: Brown and Regent Pat Hayes, chairwoman of the board, will hold a news conference in UMC Room 235. Media credentials are required, but the conference will also be streamed online.

CU said Thursday that an open microphone will be available at the end of the day for anybody who wants to express “their personal opinions on topics related to the events of the day.”

University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill said he expects to be fired Tuesday.