Brenda Tavakoli
Staff Writer
"Once you have the Rev. Jesse Jackson flying down to Austin and a member of the (University of Texas) board of regents and a number of senators calling for him to resign, you realize that this is no ordinary situation."
These words sum up University of Texas law professor Scot Powe's take on extensive media coverage generated by a UT law professor's now-infamous comments.
Law professor Lino Graglia's recent remarks about black and Mexican Americans' academic abilities has caused a rash of criticism, backlash and outrage.
"Blacks and Mexican-Americans can't compete academically with whites," Graglia said. He also said that their cultures do not look upon failure with disgrace.
Graglia has not shied away from publicizing his views in the past. He has aired them on television, in print and on radio airwaves. Being no stranger to controversy, his comments cost him an appointment to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1986.
He made his latest controversial comments at a press conference for a newly-formed student group that supports the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' Hopwood decision. The Hopwood decision forbids schools from using race as an admission criteria.
UT has come under fire as being less minority-friendly in light of Hopwood. Fewer minorities were admitted to UT's law school and graduate school programs this fall. Four blacks and 26 Mexican-Americans enrolled this year as first-time law students, compared with 31 blacks and 42 Mexican-Americans last year, although minority enrollment for freshmen undergraduates is slightly up this year.
This has helped create an extremely sensitive environment, some say. "In my 26 years here, I cannot recall another time when a (UT) board of regents member or state politicians were calling for the resignation of a faculty member," Powe said.
This environment has set up UT for unfavorable attention nationwide, as evident by the outcry from within and outside of academia.
The directors for the UT Center for Mexican-American Studies and the African-American Studies Center, issued a joint statement addressing Graglia's remarks.
It read, in part: "At a time when the University of Texas had been attempting to improve its image in the state and the nation, professor Graglia's comments have brought considerable damage to our campus. Now is the time for the university, and the Law school in particular, to take concrete steps to distance itself from the view of professor Graglia. Now is the time for the university to demonstrate that it is committed to educating all sectors of our society."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke at a Tuesday rally held at UT to protest the professor's remarks.
"There is on campus today free speech and foul speech," Jackson said. "Free speech and foul, offensive, mean-spirited fascist speech. He (Graglia) has the legal grounds for free speech, but no moral grounds and no scientific grounds for his racist, fascist, offensive speech."
Two UT law professors contacted by the Daily Cougar Wednesday agree that while Graglia's words may offend, he retains the right to express them.
Powe said of Graglia, "He has a 100 percent right to be wrong and he is within his first amendment rights" and his rights as an academic.
UT Associate Dean of Law, Douglas Laycock says that any attempts to silence Graglia will be in vain. Laycock added that under the first amendment, all sides of an issue are protected and free to speak, a right he called a "no-brainer."
Laycock added that the media attention is creating a misleading, distorted picture of UT.
"The best-known fact about UT this week is that we have one professor who makes insensitive comments," he said. "Graglia is our most famous faculty member."
Graglia sent out a four-page statement to the media which said, in part, "While I stand by my opposition to racial preferences, which necessarily imply differences in academic competitiveness, I fully support the university and law school's efforts and wish to do what I can to assist them."
Graglia could not be reached for comment.