Printed in the Daily Texan
March 5, 1996

In his March 1 column, Dean Michael Sharlot said the Faculty Council "behaved like a kangaroo court" when we passed "resolutions to condemn the Moffetts as unfit to be honored."

Further, Dean Sharlot is shocked that in their considerations of Freeport-McMoRan's activities in Indonesia the Faculty Council failed to consult with "faculty with personal knowledge of the area and some relevant academic expertise."

As the sponsor of the resolutions that were passed on Feb. 19, I must wonder if Dean Sharlot and I were at the same meeting. At the meeting I was at, the faculty voted to ask the regents to consult with the Moffetts about changing the proposed name of the molecular biology building. There was no resolution which found that the Moffetts were "unfit to be honored," because of human rights and environmental abuses by the Freeport-McMoRan company in Indonesia.

In truth, there were many reasons to "invite the Moffetts to make a gracious gesture in the best interests of the University by agreeing to take their name off the building" as I said at the Council meeting. Among those discussed were Freeport's efforts to intimidate faculty critics with threats of lawsuits; the questionable circumstances under which the decision to name the building was made; the effect that the controversy would have on those who would use the new building; and the effect that this would have on future recruitment of faculty; as well as the concerns over allegations of human rights abuses and environmental degradation.

In the view of Professor Lisa Moore of the English department, the resolution on renaming the building set "an appropriate tone of mutual respect" which appealed to the Moffetts "as friends of the University and ask[s] them in that spirit to help us out of a difficult situation."

Further, I am puzzled by Dean Sharlot's accusation that we did not consult with faculty members who have expertise in this area. Perhaps he is thinking of Professor Joel Sherzer, chair of the Anthropology Department, who said "I have studied these data very carefully, and I believe strongly that it is totally improper to name the building for the Moffetts or in any way after Freeport."

Or is he thinking of Professor Steven Feld, the highly respected anthropologist who has done decades of research on the indigenous people of New Guinea where the Freeport mining operations are located? Professor Feld is among those who find the accusations of human rights abuses against Freeport operations in Irian Jaya (West Papua) quite credible. Last fall, Professor Feld left the University over this issue.

Rather than acting like a "kangaroo court" the Faculty Council behaved in a responsible manner. We looked at materials from both the supporters and critics of Freeport-McMoRan and Moffett. We discussed the issue openly and extensively both within and outside the council for several months. We put forward and passed resolutions which seek to resolve this controversy in a judicious manner. Now we must hope that the Board of Regents will give serious consideration to our actions.

Gretchen Ritter, Professor of government