http://www.religionandspiritualityforum.co...30-035747-8203r

Duke University profs urge students to strip during conservative speaker's talk
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum

DURHAM, March 30 (UPI) — Duke University is investigating accusations three feminist professors urged students to strip as a way of interrupting a conservative's on campus speech.

The accusations followed a frequently interrupted speech early this month by conservative David Horowitz, Agape Press reported Thursday.

Three feminist professors, Diane Nelson, Caroline Light and Jocelyn Alcott, originally urged a group of about 20 male and female students to remove their shirts during Horowitz's speech, but later decided the protesters should laugh repeatedly throughout the event and harangue the speaker, said Ben Johnson, a writer for FrontPageMag.com.

Johnson said the three professors violated Duke's faculty handbook, which instructs faculty to "protect the exercise of (academic freedom) from disruption or interference," and states that "substitution of noise for speech and force for reason is a rejection and not an application of academic freedom."

To date, he said, the university has only said it is investigating the matter.

"If you want to have a speech of your own to counter that, that's fine," he said. "But the answer to free speech is more speech. It's not shouting down the speaker, which is what these three professors chose to do."

"Diane Nelson had sent out an e-mail in advance that said what they wanted to do, at a certain time; they wanted to have the men wear nothing underneath these protest shirts," he explains. According to Johnson, the shirts that were to be worn made reference to one of Horowitz's books, titled 'The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America.'

"(Nelson) ... wanted to have the women wear bras underneath the tee shirts, and (then) at a certain point (in the speech) they would stand up and flash David Horowitz," he said.

Johnson said Duke's willingness to allow the disruptive protest and its unwillingness to punish those involved indicates the school is no different than other prestigious universities he describes as "far to the left of the American mainstream."