Friday, February 11, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Professor, UNLV at odds over lecture complaint

"The reputation of the university is dramatically soiled, I would say, and I thought they would realize this and give in. I want an apology from them that they mistreated me." HANS HOPPE UNLV PROFESSOR

UNLV Professor Hans Hoppe rejected a peace offering Thursday from university administrators who had sought to penalize him for a controversial statement he made about homosexuals in a class lecture last year.

University officials said in a statement Thursday that after investigating the matter, they had reached "a fair conclusion for all parties involved."

But Hoppe, a tenured professor, said he does not consider the matter resolved and is prepared to seek vindication in court.

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.

University officials declined to comment on the specifics of their resolution. But Richard Linstrom, UNLV chief counsel, said, "His status at the university is unchanged."

UNLV Student Body President, Henry Schuck, said students want professors to stick to the facts in class.

"I don't think it's possible to check your beliefs at the door, but to represent those as your beliefs is critical," he said. "I view what is said in the classroom as factual stuff, so to come out of there with things that aren't factual, it's a disservice to students."

In a statement, university spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said UNLV is committed to academic freedom and investigating discrimination. But, she said, with academic freedom comes academic respon- sibility.

"The purpose of keeping these proceedings confidential is to protect both the complainant and the faculty member involved," Grey said. "It is unfair for the news media and others who may have read incomplete accounts of this situation to judge the university's intentions and values."