Should students be forced to have at least part of their university tuition go to the salary of a man who chastises gays not simply because the Bible says it’s okay, but because they’re an economic drain on society? That’s the question going around Purdue University when it comes to library science professor Dr. Bert Chapman, who just got done blogging about how homosexuals and their gay AIDS disease are costing America $1 trillion.
And students aren’t having it.
Writing in to the student newspaper Exponent, Purdue junior Max Vande Vaarst wrote:
“Dr. Bert Chapman surrendered his position at Purdue the moment he decided to publish such intellectual diarrhea on his blog. There are those who would defend this atrocious man by claiming that political correctness has conspired to snatch away his free speech, but this is not so. Dr. Chapman has the right to believe that homosexuals are immoral, just as it would be within his rights to believe the same about any other group of people. The issue is not Dr. Chapman’s views of homosexuality, bigoted and wrong-headed though they may be, but that he has abused his authority as a scholar and an expert to disseminate hate-filled propaganda.”
Sophomore Laura Blackburn:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“I’ll call for his job. As a student, as a lesbian, as a human being, I believe with every fiber of my being that Purdue University in no way should affiliate itself with the hateful, bigoted opinions of Professor Chapman.”
Grad student Corey Bechtel:
“This is a big story and not something that should merely be relegated to the opinions page; the views espoused by Chapman are nauseating and his employment at Purdue would be akin to Purdue employing someone who was openly racist or anti-Semitic. It is astounding that someone who is both a professor and a librarian, someone who is charged with teaching and assisting ALL students regardless of their sexual orientation, is saying these despicable things publicly.”
As these students point out, Chapman and his sympathizers will claim he has a right to free speech, which he certainly does. And college campuses should absolutely support a variety of opinions to encourage dialogue and free thought. That, we’re on board with.
But we certainly understand the frustration of students who see their tuition dollars paying the salary of a bigot, who abuses his university business cards to perpetrate misinformation and outright lies. Sure, depending on how Purdue slices it, some of Chapman’s salary might come from grants or donors, not students’ tuition. But it doesn’t change the situation: By keeping Chapman on campus, the university implicitly endorses his homophobia. Would they keep a racist on their faculty?
Apparently that’s not the same question; Purdue isn’t planning on firing Chapman anytime soon, relays Inside Higher Ed. A university spokeswoman says: “The university asks its faculty to make it clear that the viewpoints they express do not necessarily reflect those of the university. Mr. Chapman has gone out of his way to do this with a very clear disclaimer. He also took an extra step and posted his blog on a server not owned by the university. The university has a policy prohibiting harassment if it unreasonably affects a person’s educational or work opportunities or affects his or her ability to participate in a university activity. This does not meet that standard. The First Amendment clearly allows him to state his opinion. The best response is to speak up, which is exactly what our students and some faculty are doing.”
As for Chapman, he tells Higher Ed he didn’t want to talk because he wants everything to blow over. But, notes the website: “He did say that the angry responses have been hurtful to him, and to his wife. He said that his supervisors at the university, consistent with the institution’s statement, have not taken any action against him. But he said that he contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, just in case.”
Yes, just in case. Good idea. Because today, Purdue “volunteers will be collecting signatures of people who think Chapman’s public comments were embarrassing, unprofessional, and damaging to Purdue.” Details here.
Peter
And who is paying for all of the heterosexual AIDs cases? And who gets credit for them?
1EqualityUSA
Numbnuts, Robert P. George of Princeton, “Jurisprudence-man” is still supported by that tuition. Perhaps youngsters ought to boycott going to any college that has bigoted teachers on staff.
Republican
Assuming Chapman has tenure, the university’s response is not at all surprising and is probably correct.
Oh, and yes, there are openly racist and anti-semitic professors out there. I don’t know if any exist at Perdue, but they exist, even at the good universities.
Cam
This guy is a professor? He doesn’t even do full research! Here is a section of his post…
“U.S. Government expenditures on this disease have risen from $200,000 in Fiscal Year 1980-1981 to $23.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2008. These figures have increased steadily over nearly three decades and probably exceed $100 billion. When you factor in what countries all over the world have spent on seeking to diminish this disease, without recognizing the morally aberrant sexual behavior causing its spread, we are probably looking at expenditures of over $1 trillion dollars. ”
Funny, he seems to leave out the fact that a HUGE percentage of that money goes to fight AIDS in Africa, where it is a hetrosexual disease. So what exactly is the aberrant sexual behavior causing it there Professor?
Up to Purdue to figure out what to do with the guy, fire him because as an employee he is espousing a viewpoing embarrassing and damaging to the University, or fire him because he is a Professor of Library Science that can’t even do proper research.
Brian
Professor Ignorant.
Republican
Err, make that Purdue.
timmmeeeyyy
I support Purdue’s decision to keep Dr Chapman on as faculty. I also support the right of students and faculty at Purdue to refuse to work with him. I would. He has the freedom to speak his mind. So do students and faculty at Purdue. Freedom of Speech does not mean freedom from cosequences of that speech however.
akn
I know I’m going to be in the minority here, but I really believe that as long as he keeps it out of his classrooms and doesn’t discriminate against LGBT students in terms of evaluating their work, etc., then the university is right not to take any disciplinary action against him. (I also think it’s right and important for those in the Purdue community who are offended by Chapman’s views to say so, and as loudly as possible – kudos to the signature collectors and signers.) Unless he’s teaching biology classes on human sexuality, his expressing these views, contemptuous and misinformed as they are, is no reason to dismiss or punish him. Imagine how the administration at Bob Jones University or Brigham Young might respond to a faculty member who, even with a similar disclaimer separating his/her personal views from those of the university, published a piece in support of equal rights for LGBT people… Do we really want liberal universities acting like these conservative religious schools likely would, simply from the opposite ideological stance?
Orpheus_lost
Its amazing how these religious nuts only want freedom of speech for THEIR beliefs. They certainly don’t apply the same philosophy when it comes to censoring television or other media from nasty gay perversions or wardrobe malfunctions.
But to get to the gist of this matter, as has been said repeatedly, freedom of speech does not preclude one from freedom of responsibility. If this guy was working the line at some factory it wouldn’t matter what he believed, but instead he is a professor at a university and is disseminating views that dehumanize some of his students. These students have a right (yes, a right) to expect that the people who teach them, believe they are worthy of being taught. Leaving this person in his position would be no different than having a pro-slavery advocate teaching social studies or a hiring a holocaust denier as a history professor. It would be an act of violence against African-Americans and Jews, just as the continued employment of this professor is an act of violence against the GLBT community at Perdue.
FakeName
Because doctors of library science are world renowned as experts on public health policy.
Cindy
Nope. Can’t kick him out for expressing his views. It’s a simply free speech issue. I think to be so publicly called out for his ignorance and intolerance is actually a much better result than making him a martyr for the right. Even better, perhaps, is his being called out for his rather embarrassing research efforts in support his opinion. He’s demonstrated himself to be a pretty pathetic academic researcher and thinker. Everyone on campus now knows this as do many people in the country. That’s good stuff and clearly this hasn’t been much of a positive for ole Professor Dumb-Dumb.
And actually, what an excellent conversation starter this has been on a campus in the heart of the Midwest. For folks to react so strongly in the negative to the blatant homophobia and intellectual dishonesty and overall weak case made by Chapman is a win for us.
TomEM
Here is the original, for those who’ve may not read it in its entirety. This is about more than HIV:
http://bertchapman.blogtownhall.com/2009/10/27/an_economic_case_against_homosexuality.thtml
jimmy
Angry responses have been hurtful towards him?!? Too fucking bad.
He didn’t concern himself with the hurt he directed towards gays. Both institutions of higher learning and corporate entities are ever more concerned with their brand image and they are finding out that these miserable assholes are bad for the brand and bad for business.
Oh, and fuck Purdue too…Go IU!!
Orpheus_lost
@Cindy
Yes, you can kick him out for expressing his views, if in doing so he expressed a view that some of his students are sub-human (which he did).
I also notice that you accept the fallacy that we should let twisted nutjobs like this run free because it lets people see that their views are unacceptable. The problem with this is that those who are smart enough not to fall for this kind of propaganda are already disinclined to listen to him, but those stupid enough to fall for it have a ‘distinguished professor’ to look up to. We’ve seen the same thing happen repeatedly when Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity brings in “an expert” to back up their lies and distortions. Why give them one more?
Leaving this homophobe in a position that allows him to influence young minds is not a “win for us”.
Nope.
DaveO
Only if Harvard students can also opt out of paying that race-baiting Louis Gates’ salary as well.
Orpheus_lost
@DaveO
You really are a simpleton, aren’t you? How does life feel when everything is just a series of “yes/no” questions? Do they even make velcro laces for adults anymore or do you just walk around in slippers?
Ben
Does this mean gay people can blame straight people for creating a major drain on the economy for having so many goddamned offspring?
Imagine all the money on schools, buses, social services, etc., we could save if people didn’t have so many freaking kids.
As a trans man with no interest in raising children, I find it abhorrent that my tax dollars go to help raise and educate other people’s kids. They should pay for that shit themselves, or be responsible enough to have protected sex so as not to bring the burden of children on themselves and society.
Cindy
>Yes, you can kick him out for expressing his views, if in doing so he expressed a view that some of his students are sub-human (which he did).
Nope. He has that right under the First Amendment. Period. I firmly believe that folks like Chapman and the Fred Phelps types in the world demonstrate the hate in their message in a way that helps us.
>I also notice that you accept the fallacy that we should let twisted nutjobs like this run free because it lets people see that their views are unacceptable.
It isn’t a fallacy. I believe strongly that ultimately, the better argument always wins out. I am absolutely unwilling to give up the ability to argue back with a better argument under the guise of helping those too stupid to get the real truth. There was a time not so long ago when we were considered the nutjobs pushing a crazy argument that we were normal. Where would we be now had we been forced to stop talking about ourselves and our cause?
Steve
It’s called “intellectual freedom”, and it means that tenured professors can write or teach pretty much whatever they want. (Non-tenured faculty, of course, must be more careful about what they write, if they want tenure.)
If a student does not want to study under a particular professor, he/she may choose not to sign up for those courses. A grad student may select a different professor to be his/her adviser. And in the extreme, any student may choose not to attend that school.
There is no cause to fire the guy, or to demote him, or even to reprimand him. The school has no recourse. The only serious issue might be if his courses don’t attract enough students, so that they get canceled, or if his research doesn’t get grant funding. (Most schools require every professor, even tenured, to attract a certain amount of funding, either by teaching a certain number of courses/students, or by getting grants, or some combination.)
Orpheus_lost
@Steve
And the way to reduce both his student base and chances for research funding is by calling for his dismissal and making enough of a stink about it that he becomes an even greater liability to the school – a school that is able to charge premium rates based on their reputation.
The great thing about “intellectual freedom” is that it is usually accompanied by “intellectual responsibility”. It’s time this Library Sciences professor found out about this concept.
cr8nguy
let him say what he thinks. if he teaches actual classes, then students should lead a boycott of those courses. if he can’t get people to take his classes, the university will have to cancel them. organize and respond, don’t just react.
cr8nguy
oops, i see Steve was thinking this too….sorry to steal your thunder man.
Andrew
We don’t prohibit stupid in America. If we did, there would be no religion.
B
If you look at the link TomEM provided in No. 12, it points to a blog named “Conservative Libertarian” and is apparently not associated with Purdue. The article is attributed to Bert Chapman but with no university affiliation given (nor does he indicate that he has a PhD). It starts with the statement, “As a Christian, I agree with the biblical condemnation of the homosexual lifestyle. However, we are living in a nation and world that increasingly rejects biblical norms. To defend traditional sexual morality against the encroaching threat of homosexuality and other aberrant forms of sexual expression, we need to be able to do more than cite Bible verses.”
So (a) he is expressing his personal opinion, (b) is doing that with no indication of any affiliation with a university, and (c) is claiming no particular expertise. It’s basically a “letter to the editor”. While we may not like what he says, there could be legal issues if Purdue fired him for it – some states have laws prohibiting employers from retaliating against employees for expressing a political (or religious) opinion on their own time.
hephaestion
Insurance companies fight to get gay customers because we cost them less money than heteros, even WITH AIDS. So this looney prof doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Bill Perdue
This is not a question of free speech, although right-wingers and apologists for bigots always seem quick to try to make it seem that way.
The real reason for removing him is because he’s a joke who’s obviously unqualified to teach. It he has tenure then the way to get rid of him is via boycott, ostracizing him, ridiculing him, and questioning his credentials.
It’s important to convince bigots that there’s a price to pay for being a pig.
B
Bill Perdue wrote, “This is not a question of free speech, although right-wingers and apologists for bigots always seem quick to try to make it seem that way.”
Such blanket statements have no basis in fact because some states have free speech laws that provide more protection than that provided by the U.S. Constitution. Purdue could be in a lot of trouble if this guy was fired for his views if Indiana free-speech rights are comparable those enjoyed in California.
I’ll refer interested readers to http://shawvalenza.com/publications.php?id=78 and two specific quotes from that article:
“California includes in its Constitution a right to free speech that is broader than the First Amendment.”
“The law also protects employees’ speech outside the workplace to some extent, even from private employers’ actions. For example, the law prohibits employers from taking action against an employee for lawful, off premises activity, at least with respect to matters addressed under the Labor Code. The law also prohibits discrimination against employees based on their political activity. Therefore, for instance, if an employee volunteers time for a political candidate whom the employer does not support, the employer may not sanction the employee for doing so.”
This of course also makes it illegal for a homophobic employer to prevent employees from donating their time to a campaign to repeal Proposition Eight as long as they don’t use company resources or time.
TomEM
Think you’re right B: Chapman doesn’t have a doctoral degree…
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/hsse/facultyandstaff/bibliographers/b_chapman.html
What’s worse perhaps: The ‘academic freedom’ excuse his Purdue colleagues have espoused is, at the very least, dishonest.
Cindy
>It he has tenure then the way to get rid of him is via boycott, ostracizing him, ridiculing him, and questioning his credentials.
None of those options have any influence on a tenured professor’s review committee. Getting students and/or colleagues to write letters to be placed in his “retention/tenure/promotion” dossier, perhaps, could hurt him professionally. But, tenured professors really have to demonstrate serious academic failures such as lying about sources/research, plagiarism, etc. in order to be let go.
Nicholas G.
I am the Vice President of the Queer Student Union on campus and have been tracking the situation. You can view all of the links I know of here http://genesjockey.blogspot.com/2009/11/bert-chapman-growing.html if you find any more, please tell me, especially if they are national media outlets!
As for a picture, the local city newspaper posted one (Journal and Courier), but it is not available on their site.
I would also like to note that Purdue University is behind all of the other Big Ten Universities when it comes to LGBTQ issues. Currently, our two main focuses are getting a paid staff member to focus on LGBTQ issues, and getting Gender Identity and Expression added to the nondiscrimination policy. You can view the white paper of the LGBTQ Advisory Board here https://engineering.purdue.edu/NOGLSTP/Documents/Purdue_Provosts_LGBTQ_Advisory_Board_White_Paper.pdf
Bill Perdue
No. 29 • Cindy say “None of those options have any influence on a tenured professor’s review committee.”
They most certainly do. “Review committees’ don’t exist in a vacuum. And even if those pressure tactics don’t give his peers an excuse to get rid of him (or give him a reason to resign) they do have a broad educational effect.
We, and not the standards of academic politesse, will decide the focus of our campaign. Devolved creatures like Chapman should be boycotted, ostracized, ridiculed and have thier fitness to teach persistently questioned. And yes, by all means write letters but remember that the main reason he’s unfit is because he’s an immoral, dishonest bigot, a man consumed by hatred based on his beliefs in a superstitious cult. He’s as warped and twisted as any brown robed Dominican Inquisitor ever was.
Cindy
>”Review committees’ don’t exist in a vacuum. And even if those pressure tactics don’t give his peers an excuse to get rid of him (or give him a reason to resign) they do have a broad educational effect
Actually, they do exist in a vacuum. That’s why you have to work to make sure you penetrate that vacuum by getting these protests into his file. The review committee will look at his file, and only his file, and not look outward for newspaper clippings or youtube videos of protests. Focus on getting those things into that file of his if you hope to have an impact with a review committee. The process of getting a letter into someone’s file should be available in some document on your campus. I’d encourage you to look into how that’s done at Purdue.
I’m not saying your protests couldn’t create pressure on the university administration as a whole. Universities, like most organizations, are very concerned with image and things that negatively impact their image.
But, review committees operate under strict guidelines of what they are allowed to review and it’s typically just the faculty dossier and only the dossier.
Bill Perdue
No. 32 · Cindy – You’re quibbling and you’re wrong.
The way to go after pigs like Chapman is to Bork them, to give them the same treatment we gave Prejean. Put them in a pressure cooker and turn up the heat.
Cindy
Whatever you say, Bill.
Just attempting to give you the facts of how review committees on university campuses work. I’m not sure why that’s so offensive to you, but they are just the facts. Knowledge is power, dear boy.
TomEM
Can someone please explain to me why a non-faculty staff member (e.g. a librarian) would have tenure?
Further how is Chapman a ‘Professor’ when it seems, according to Perdue.edu, that that university does not have a Faculty/School/Division of Library Science?
TomEM
**Correction -> pUrdue.edu
and, http://www.purdue.edu/Purdue/about/colleges_schools.html
Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace
LOL
And who’s paying for the endless wars of choice around the world?
And whos’ paying for the endless bail outs for the banksters on Wall St?
And who’s paying for us not having a national health program like every other industrialized and civilized country in the world?
LOL
Cheers, Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace,
Washington, Connecticut, USA
And congrats to CT for their one year anniversay of marriage equality!
twodudes
where in the bible does it say it’s ok to chastise gays?
mark patterson
WHERE HAS THIS “DOUCHEBAG” BEEN THE LAST TWENTY FIVE YEARS,yes,when aids started,from africa heterosexual people,it was indeed economic drain,BUT NOW,MOST AIDS IS HETEROSEXUAL,IN EUROPE IN 80’S WHEN I WAS THERE,IT WAS MOST ALL HETEROSEXUAL,4,000 PROSTITUTES LOST IN HAMBURG IN FIVE YEARS,we never did hear about this though,TOO BUSY LISTENING TO FALWELL,ROBINSON SAYING IT WAS A “GAY DISEASE”,MOST REPUTABLE SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE,but cannot prove,monkeys who had a aids like disease,were not eaten properly,the “aids” from simian ape somehow transmited,transmuted to human aids,IT DOESN’T MATTER HOMO,HETERO,whoever got this,developed the now known virus,spread it,voila.poor africa is decimated,MOSTLY HETERO,now it’s hitting HETEROSEXUAL,BLACK,AND LATIN,many who because of their racial,ethnic background,CANNOT,AND WILL NOT be “straight” about being bi,gay,and screw anonymously,BLACK’S CALL IT “DOIN THE DOWN LOW”,i know many black men,had many latin,they can do the sex,but the relationship,MARRIAGE,their families would rip them to shreads,so behind their wives backs,they have men,lots,and AIDS SPREADING AMONG THEM CATASTROPHICALLY BECAUSE THEY FEAR BEING WHO THEY ARE.THIS PROFESSOR COULD HAVE SAID “ECONOMIC” DRAIN BACK IN 82,NOT NOW,WHAT A STINKING TURD
1EqualityUSA
Hilariously weird photograph of the Purdue sign. It took me a couple of turns to realize that that was hair. The hat is so 70’s. It should be on one of their pamphlets. I bet Queerty has so much fun picking which photos will represent the articles. That one of Pre-gene with her mouth open and eyes bugging out must have had the staff rolling. Some of the Gallagher ones have been effective too. Wen I type in the letters, “G-A-L-L-A-G-H-E-R” a squiggly line appears underneath it. That must mean her whole existence is wrong, right?
Professor
TomEM:
Librarians ARE considered faculty rather than staff, and hold both academic rank and (once granted) tenure.
TomEM
Surprising!
Thanks Professor.
Walter
Can’t read through these type of pieces education is a pet peeve and it makes me sick. All college personnel who espouse any extreme HIDDEN AGENDA UNSCIENTIFIC MATERIAL, political-left or right wing ideology need to go. By the CUSTOMER – the paying student. Screw the university if they refuse to address it.
Problem is the transitory nature of students, the apathetic and distant uninvolved parents and naive/immature not street wise or politically saavy students put up with idiots like this. And even when a light bulb goes off in the most uninformed they say oh it’s only one semester. Apathy.
I can’t even address the level of homophobia it’s just so horrifying.
NOTE: This radical mind f*ck of students is going on in every classroom in America in every academic area. Maybe math is a little safe. Meanwhile, parents have no clue and hand over their precious child’s mind to assholes. Apathy, as in all of society.
PLEASE gay parents, siblings, cousins and friends stop the atrocity of today’s biased education. The student has the right to hear the entire fleshed out subject matter. BOTH SIDES of every topic and learn to THINK not just switch on MSNBC or FOX and repeat bumperstickers.
At MIT I was taught you can learn to LEARN or you can learn to PASS TESTS (and this was in a course of science/mathmatics).
And wtf is up with discussing ONE small component of “heathcare” and the school lets that go on as if it makes any sense at all.
Queer Lust
Economic drain on society?
Does he not know the power of the pink dollar?
Max Vande Vaarst
For the record, I eventually got over my initial anger and came to terms with the fact that it really wouldn’t be fair to formally punish this guy. Here was my second letter:
I would like to apologize for my earlier letter to The Exponent, calling for Dr. Bert Chapman’s dismissal from the University. Lydia Williams and Yvonne Pitt are correct in their defense of Chapman’s right to speech, and I admit that I was writing in anger when I sent my first letter.
It would be wrong to fire a man for his beliefs, regardless of how hateful, disgusting or, frankly, evil they may be. I hope that somehow this experience has at least led Dr. Chapman to re-evaluate the way he thinks about some of his fellow citizens, and take the time to learn the facts about AIDS and prison rape, not to mention homosexuality in general. He really doesn’t seem to understand that “gay” is something you are, not something you do.
Even so, I’m sure he is a fine librarian, and, in addressing Dr. Chapman directly, I will end this letter the way so many members of the Religious Right have ended their letters to liberals: I will pray for you.
TomEm
Excellent letter Max Vande Vaarst 🙂