Faculty members mixed on theft of 'DP'

Faculty members gave mixed views yesterday on last week's protest during which a group calling themselves "The Black Community" confiscated nearly 14,000 copies of The Daily Pennsylvanian. "The Black Community" left notes which claimed that the paper perpetuates racism on campus. While some faculty members said they were sympathetic to the protesters' cause, many disagreed with the means of the protest. Faculty Senate Chairperson David Hilderbrand also defended the DP's right to free speech in a statement released to Almanac which upheld the paper's right to free speech. "In a university, we cannot, must not, will not surpress ideas, however odious," the statement reads. "[The excuse] 'I'm all for free speech, but . . . ' just won't do." Hilderbrand also suggests that all parties involved "get down off your high horse." "If we all adopt postures of injured self-righteousness, we will only aggravate the tensions revealed by this incident, to no useful end," the statement reads. Hilderbrand added that both sides should listen to what the other has to say before "framing" responses. History Professor Alan Kors agreed that free speech is crucial to the exchange of ideas at a university. "I believe that freedom of expression, freedom of speech and the freedom of the press are the foundations of a free society, which means very sadly that we do not have a free society at the University of Pennsylvania," said Kors, a member of the National Council on the Humanities, an advisory board of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He added that he would like to see President Sheldon Hackney -- who was named to head the NEH last week -- to take a firm stand for free speech at the University. "I wish that President Hackney was as vigorous in upholding freedom at his own university as he is in defending the nation from [North Carolina Senator] Jesse Helms," he said. Phyics Professor Michael Cohen agreed, saying that Hackney has been "downplaying the importance of free speech for years." "President Hackney knows perfectly well what the meaning of leadership is," he said last night. "[But] he has used his position to not offend minorities, rather than use his leadership position to foster a climate for a diversity of opinions." He added that he was surprised few students "vigorously disapproved" of the protest, while "quite a few" approved of the action. "This says that student indifference triumphs again, or President Hackney has managed to impose his views of students, or a combination of the two," he said. Associate History Professor Robert Engs said yesterday he thinks the "holier than thou" editorial response in the DP to the paper theft was "overdoing it." "The biggest problem is the editorial page," Engs said. "To give credence to black harassment, while publishing scurrilous editorials, is irresponsible journalism." Engs added that he thinks it is "unfortunate" that the protesters felt it was necessary to use such "drastic" means. "I think it's unfortunate they felt driven to such an extreme measure, but I'm certainly not going to condemn them for doing so," he said. "I've been following the offensive [columns]. I think the DP has a responsibility to [have a] balance and they haven't been doing that." Faculty Senate Chairperson-elect Gerald Porter said he disagrees with the means of the protest, saying that "freedom of the press is guaranteed" and should be "respected." "[The protest] brings to the floor certain discontent of a certain group of students in the University," he said. "And they may have a legitimate discontent, but the freedom of the press is guaranteed." Porter added that he hopes the DP "would take this opportunity" to invite the protesters to discuss their discontent. "I think we need not only to be talking to each other, but listening to each other," he said. "Talking alone doesn't solve anything." The DP has made four formal offers to members of the black community, expressing the desire to discuss issues. But all four offers were rejected, said DP Executive Editor Stephen Glass, a College junior.

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