Marquette President Michael Lovell: Begging for Support from Faculty

Last Thursday evening, Marquette held the annual Pere Marquette Dinner for faculty. Of course, President Michael Lovell spoke and, somewhat surprisingly, addressed our case. A source who was at the dinner reported:

I went to the Pere Marquette dinner Thursday evening. It is a nice event to honor teaching at the university and I support the dinner . . . . Nevertheless, some people use the event for a soapbox. This year (as you may have heard already) Lovell used several minutes of his time in front of the audience to mention you and your situation. I thought it was inappropriate and a pathetic attempt to grovel for support from the faculty. He praised the Faculty Hearing Committee, mentioning them by name and inviting them to stand if they were in attendance. I think it is strange because the committee concluded (even though I’m sure several of them were against you) Marquette failed their own statutes in your situation. The ridiculous demand that you apologize for your behavior to avoid termination is, I believe all on Lovell and not the committee. I got the impression that Lovell expected some grand applause in support of his stand and statements. My sense was the applause was scattered and polite at best. One colleague sitting next to me had earlier expressed his displeasure with Lovell regarding your situation and some of his other initiatives. . . . I don’t believe the faculty are as enamored of Lovell as he seems to desperately hope they are.

The evening should end as a pleasant occasion for the faculty members who receive their teaching awards and those there to honor them. Instead, Lovell selfishly ended the evening by presenting his take on an unpleasant situation.

I think you have more support out there than may be apparent, although it is more or less quiet right now.

“Quiet” probably means intimidated, as was the case with the professor who wrote a critical essay about “Inclusivity and Tolerance” but would not reveal his or her name because . . . inclusion and tolerance aren’t accorded to politically incorrect views.

Another source reports that Lovell claimed to have gotten lots of e-mails supporting him. He apparently didn’t mention the large number opposing him. How do we know it’s a large number? Because a lot have been copied to us.

He also said he believes that our case will set a precedent that a large number of universities can follow. That is indeed a scary thought, since there are a fair number of conservative professors that a vocal section of faculty would like to get rid of, and a lot of spineless administrators who reflexively pander to the intolerant leftists.

Our source, however, suggests that it might set a precedent in a way Lovell does not want.