Faculty asked to review Web policies

IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm has asked faculty leaders to review University policies concerning personal Web pages, after a business professor's Web log sparked controversy.\nBrehm addressed her proposal Tuesday afternoon during the Bloomington Faculty Council's first meeting of the year.\nShe prefaced the meeting with her thoughts about Eric Rasmusen's Web log that includes comments against homosexuality. Brehm said although the material is offensive, she agrees with the University legal counsel's decision to let it remain on the IU server. \nThe chancellor said she has spoken with BFC President David Daleke about asking the University Faculty Council to review current policies and guidelines of the "mypage" service that provides the space for personal Web pages.\nRasmusen, an economics and public policy professor in the Kelley School of Business and a member of the BFC, listened as Brehm spoke about the debate. \nBrehm said she was notified through an e-mail about the log on Sept. 4.\n"The 12 days that followed have been extremely difficult for this campus," Brehm said. "I abhor the statements made on the site."\nBrehm informed the BFC about the content of his log by quoting a few of his statements, including Rasmusen's opinion that homosexuals are not suitable for teaching.\n"This is deeply offensive, hurtful and harmful stereotyping," Brehm said. "These stereotypes are completely at odds with IU's commitment to inclusion that is clearly stated in the equal opportunity and affirmative action policy."\nBrehm continued by asserting Rasmusen's right to express his opinions under the protection of the First Amendment and IU's policy on academic freedom.\n"The postings on this Web site have created the difficult challenge of affirming the right to speak, even if we deplore it," she said. "As hard as this is, it's the only way to maintain our liberty."\nThe chancellor proceeded to read from IU's Information Technology policy regarding personal Web pages, which explains that faculty, staff and students have the right to post material that may cause a rift in opinions, as long as it does not violate University policy.\n"It is crucial to think about the role of these personal Web pages in our communal and intellectual lives," Brehm said.\nBarry Magee, director for diversity education with Residential Programs and Services, attended Tuesday's meeting to hear what Brehm had to say about the Web log situation. Magee has met with several concerned students who disagree with the homophobic material on the site, and he has sent an e-mail to Brehm.\n"I appreciate that she put it first on her agenda and that she talked about how difficult the situation is," Magee said. "But I wish she would have called for more, like creating campus dialogue and finding ways in how we balance free speech with the importance of supporting of all our students."\nMagee said when Brehm concluded her statements with a quote from John Stuart Mill about the importance of free speech, she could have included quotes from students and faculty who have e-mailed her about the pain they felt when reading Rasmusen's comments.\n"For me, that is the important piece we keep missing -- the pain," Magee said. "We keep trying to work on improving the campus climate but when things like this happen it feels like we're back to square one."\nSince the legal counsel allowed Rasmusen's Web log to return on the IU server, Magee helped organize a town meeting last week to create initiatives and responses about the log.\nMagee said one of the latest initiatives is the creation of four-by-six-inch note cards with a bull's eye image on the front that reads "I spy homophobia." On the back of the card, people can write their comments to various individuals who should be advised about the dangers of silencing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals on campus.\nThe cards will be available today for resident assistants to distribute in the residence centers and then at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Student Support Services' next OUT meeting this week.\nRasmusen's Web log came into question when students and business faculty members came across his comments on his log about homosexuals not being suitable for certain jobs. \nBrehm concluded her statements at Tuesday's meeting with the opportunity for faculty members to ask any questions about this issue or any others they wished to address.\n"I would thank the Chancellor for her defense of the freedom of speech and expression in a difficult time," said BFC member Herbert Terry from the Department of Telecommunications. "I hope this perspective, along with the fact that this is a technological problem prevails during the review of Web page policies."\n-- Contact senior writer Maura Halpern at mhalpern@indiana.edu.