by Katy Knapp
Daily Lobo
Richard Berthold said the needs of UNM's administration trump those of students by not letting him return to the University to teach.
"And more sadly, the faculty is once more permitting an administrator to dictate to an academic department who they can and cannot hire," he said in an e-mail Monday.
Berthold proposed a 300-level class on Greek history to the University Honors Program at the beginning of September. The program accepted his proposal and scheduled him to teach in the spring.
"Barely two weeks later, the interim provost, Reed Dasenbrock, cancelled that acceptance," Berthold said.
Dasenbrock, who is responsible for academics at UNM, announced Friday that Berthold would not be allowed back to the University to teach an honors course titled the Wrath of Achilles: Greek Warfare and Society.
Student Anna Butman said she would agree with the provost's decision if the remarks made by Berthold were directed at the 3,000 people who died from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but not if he were provoking intelligent thought in the classroom.
"It's ridiculous they won't let someone back just because he said something controversial," she said.
Susan McKinsey, director of strategic communications at UNM, said the provost stands by the statement he released last week when he said reasons for rejecting Berthold's proposal for the class had nothing to do with his controversial remarks about Sept. 11. Berthold told two of his undergraduate classes at the time, "Anyone who can bomb the Pentagon gets my vote."
Rosalie Otero, director of the University Honors Program, could not be reached for comment Monday.
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Berthold, who has never shied away from criticizing UNM's administration and regents, said he taught history at UNM for 31 years and received high enrollment and evaluation marks from his students.
An administrator in the history department, who asked not to be named, couldn't confirm if Berthold had received high evaluation marks, but said he did have high enrollment numbers.
Bob Cornelius, chairman of the Reagan Freedom Society of New Mexico and a UNM student, said he agrees with Dasenbrock's decision.
"Dr. Berthold does have the right of free speech, but not the right to work at UNM," he said. "The University is a business and it's up to them if they see him as an asset or a liability. Obviously, he's a liability."
Dasenbrock sent the professor a letter stating the reasons why his proposal was rejected, Berthold said. He said the letter stated the decision was not based on the Sept. 11 comment, but because of a poor service record in the history department.
"What that has to do with a temporary teaching position in the honors program is not at all clear to me," Berthold said.
Student Kathryn Grover said along with freedom of speech comes a responsibility.
"Sometimes there are consequences," she said. "I don't really care if he's let back in or not. Tough luck."
Berthold said Dasenbrock also stated in the letter the former professor has a problem adhering to professional standards and correcting deficiencies in his performance.
"That, of course, is to say that I have a bad attitude and offend people," he said. "Especially academic administrators."
Other than the Sept. 11 comments, Berthold said, the deficiencies Dasenbrock spoke of didn't bother most of the 20,000 students who attended his lectures. He even received UNM's Teacher of the Year award in 1999.
Berthold, who calls himself an experienced and unconventional historian, said students are being deprived by not allowing him to teach at the University.
"Free speech at the University of New Mexico is an illusion," he said.
