The Ivory Tower is the Assassin's Hiding Place
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*Native Feminism Without Apology!*
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*February 25, 2008
*Statement of University of Michigan Students and Faculty in Support of
Andrea Smith's Tenure Case*
CONTACT: TenureForAndreaSm...@gmail.com
On February 22nd, 2008, University of Michigan's College of Literature,
Science and the Arts (LSA) issued a negative tenure recommendation for
Assistant Professor Andrea Lee Smith. Jointly appointed in the Program in
American Culture and the Department of Women's Studies, Dr. Smith's body of
scholarship exemplifies scholarly excellence with widely circulated articles
in peer-reviewed journals and numerous books in both university and
independent presses including *Native Americans and the Christian
Right *published
this year by Duke University Press. Dr. Smith is one of the greatest
indigenous feminist intellectuals of our time. A nominee for the 2005 Nobel
Peace Prize, Dr. Smith has an outstanding academic and community record of
service that is internationally and nationally recognized. She is a
dedicated professor and mentor and she is an integral member of the
University of Michigan (UM) intellectual community. Her reputation and
pedagogical practices draw undergraduate and graduate students from all over
campus and the nation.
Dr. Smith received the news about her tenure case while participating in the
United States' hearings before the Convention on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ironically,
during those very same hearings, the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decisions that
restricted affirmative action policies at UM specifically were cited as
violations of international law. At the same time, there is an undeniable
link between the Department of Women's Studies and LSA's current tenure
recommendations and the long history of institutional restrictions against
faculty of color. In 2008, students of color are coming together to protest
the way UM's administration has fostered an environment wherein faculty of
color are few and far between, Ethnic Studies course offerings have little
financial and institutional support, and student services for students of
color are decreasing each year.
*To Support Professor Andrea Smith: * The Provost must hear our
responses! Write
letters in support of Andrea Smith's tenure case. Address email letters to
ALL of the following:
- Teresa Sullivan, Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs, LSA,
ts...@umich.edu
- Lester Monts, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, LSA,
lmo...@umich.edu
Voice your ideas on the web forum at http://www.woclockdown.org/
*To Support Women of Color at Michigan and the Crisis of Women's Studies and Ethnic Studies: * Attend the student organized March 15th Conference at UM!!!! *Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex* is free and open to the public. Speakers include renowned activists and scholars Piya Chatterjee, Angela Davis, Rosa Linda Fregoso, Ruthie Gilmore, Fred Moten, Clarissa Rojas, and Haunani-Kay Trask. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.woclockdown.org/.
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