November 28, 2003. ת The Gollin Case of Weblog Suppression at Illinois.

I've discussed the Gollin case before. From the Chronicle of Higher Education, November 21, 2003:

The professor, George Gollin, said administrators ordered him to remove his material from the university's server after Illinois was threatened with lawsuits from proprietors of some of the online institutions cited on his Web site. Mr. Gollin's material is now available on the State of Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization Web site ( http://www.osac.state.or.us/od/oregon_north_dakota/index_or.html).

Mr. Gollin said that administrators justified their demand, however, by telling him that his research into the controversial institutions did not meet the "public service" obligation for faculty members.

...

Matthew W. Finkin, a law professor at the university and the institution's AAUP representative, sent a letter last month to Richard H. Herman, the provost, asking him to make clear to faculty members that academic freedom applies to the use of university computers and networks. Faculty members should also be reminded that academic work, even work outside their discipline, qualifies as public service, Mr. Finkin wrote.

...

Mr. Herman said he discussed the issue with other administrators and is skeptical that Mr. Gollin was ordered to remove his Web site from the server. Mr. Herman and Mr. Gollin were scheduled to speak last week.

Asked whether he thought the professor's work met the public-service requirement, Mr. Herman replied, "It could well be."

Mr. Herman had better give us some evidence. Who do you think is more likely to tell the truth, a provost or a physics professor? --Especially when the known facts all support the professor (Why else would he move his website, if nobody pressured him?) Right now, the University of Illinois administration is looking oppressive, stupid, evasive, cowardly, and dishonest. Maybe these adjectives don't really apply--but the burden of proof is on the University at this point. For a provost to vaguely imply that one of his full professors in an internationally renowned department is a liar is unsatisfactory.

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