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Dec. 6, 2005

Web of Lies

When several of his colleagues expressed doubts about whether they would eventually want to tenure him, William Bradford, an associate professor of law at Indiana University in Indianapolis, went public with his complaints. He posted on blogs, he talked on the radio, he talked to this Web site, he hit “The O’Reilly Factor.” His message: Liberal faculty members were pushing him out because he is conservative, a war veteran and a Native American who didn’t fit a liberal mold for Native Americans.

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But as Bradford’s complaints grew louder, his story unraveled. It has now become clear that Bradford lied about, among other things, his military service. University officials confirmed Monday that Bradford — who did not respond to e-mail and voice messages and who hasn’t commented on the latest events — has resigned, effective January 1.

Bradford appeared on the national radar this summer, after five faculty members on a review committee, which did authorize his reappointment, said they did not think he deserved tenure at the time. Bradford, whose degrees include one each from Northwestern and Harvard Universities, railed against what he claimed was a liberal conspiracy against him.

Bradford had refused to sign a petition in support of Ward Churchill, a professor from the University of Colorado whose comments on 9/11 infuriated people nationwide, despite the advice of Florence Wagman Roisman, an Indiana law professor who did sign the petition. Bradford labeled Roisman as one of the leaders of the push to oust him, and began slinging discrimination and defamation claims around the blogosphere, most prominently on Indy Law Net, a blog for the Indiana law school.

Bradford drew vigorous support not only from the likes of Bill O’Reilly, but also from students and colleagues who noted his prolific publishing, his general popularity as a teacher, and his status as a war hero — he claimed to have fought in Desert Storm and Bosnia, and to have won a Silver Star. A petition in support of Bradford was even passed around students at the law school. While Bradford took to the pulpit, Roisman and others he criticized had to stay silent, citing the confidentiality of review committees.

But the more attention Bradford got, the more people started asking questions, and the more peculiarities arose. In September, Lucas Sayre, a second year law student and the head of Indy Law Net, noticed that Bradford’s comments were coming from the same IP address as posts from other user names. Sayre, who had taken a course with Bradford and said he was a great professor, questioned Bradford about it, and Bradford admitted to using fake names to post “cheap shots, schoolyard bickering,” Sayre said.

In October, Bradford promised the blog audience that the person who endowed Roisman’s chair was upset at her behavior and would strip her of the chair, and that Judge David J. Dreyer of Marion Superior Court had issued a temporary restraining order barring professors from speaking ill of or taking any actions against Bradford. Roisman did not lose her chair, and there never was a restraining order.

Naturally, some of the law buffs who frequent Indy Law Net went searching for the restraining order. When a user identified as “me” posted that he or she could not find it, Bradford objected. “Who are you, me? I ask because if you’re on the other side or working for them, which is my presumption unless you tell me otherwise and tell me who you are, I’m not going to give you any more guidance,” he responded in a comment.

Court records and sources both indicate that Bradford never filed for any sort of injunction.

One part of Bradford’s offensive involved talking with Ruth Holladay, a columnist for The Indianapolis Star who wrote a column supporting him in June. Holladay wrote about Bradford’s impressive military service. On his faculty profile, Bradford is identified as having served in the Army infantry from 1994 to 2001, and he had claimed to have been a major in the Special Forces.

Some of Bradford’s deceptions seem obvious. For example, Desert Storm ended in 1991, and Bradford got a Ph.D., a J.D., and an L.L.M. during his supposed years of combat. Other deceptions were less easily penetrated. That’s why it took Ret. Army Lieut. Col. Keith R. Donnelly contacting Holladay with his suspicion that Bradford did not win a Silver Star to bring clarity to that issue. Both Donnelly and Holladay independently requested Bradford’s military records. In her column Sunday, Holladay reported that Bradford had seen no active duty, had won no awards, was discharged as a second lieutenant, and was not in the infantry. Bradford had been in the Army Reserve from September 30, 1995, to October 23, 2001, but saw no active duty.

Roisman said she was told that any complaint Bradford had filed against her and other professors with the university would be withdrawn. But Roisman said that neither she nor another professor plan to withdraw their complaints that Bradford had trumped up discrimination accusations against them. “As far as I’m concerned,” Roisman said, “why should they go away?”

Sayre said he has contacted Bradford recently, but that Bradford would only confirm his resignation. Once deafening on Indy Law Net, Bradford would tell Sayre nothing more.

— David Epstein

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Comments

Unanswered Questions

This case still confuses me, and I hope Bradford will speak out and journalists will investigate to explain it. Bradford’s deceptions are bizarre and disturbing, but not grounds for firing him. I’m not quite sure why he’s resigning. Also, it appears his lies were revealed after his colleagues expressed doubt about him. Did they know about it? Or is there something else they based their decision on?

I’ve never understood why confidentiality in personnel decisions is considered so important in academia. Why shouldn’t professors come out publicly and say why they oppose someone for tenure? Don’t potential employers deserve to know the truth about Bradford, and shouldn’t Bradford have the chance to refute the accusations against him?

John K. Wilson, at 8:48 am EST on December 6, 2005

This Is Why We Don’t Let Bill O’Reilly Sit On Tenure Committees

Nuf said.

Anonymous Tenure-Track Professor, at 8:57 am EST on December 6, 2005

Confidentiality and reality

The problem with open records is that, too often, some modicum in a record can be distorted to injure innocent parties. Few people are sacrosanct and have unblemished records (for example, W Bush did go AWOL, yet the public record says he served in the Texas National Guard; if his leaving his tour of duty in Mississippi to help a GOP Senate candidate win election had been known, many would not have voted for him—regardless if such action is right or wrong). In academics it is even more critical, for if a candidate for tenure or employment had written a book that questioned basic ideas that the academic or civil community for the most part rejects, that candidate could become the subject of unfair accusations and worse. Hopefully personnel actions will focus only on the work and progress of the candidate and not on the entire persona.

By no means do I justify lies, but unless they go public (as happened in this case) they should be left dormant. When they do go public and fiction flows to fiction, then the actions of personnel decisions can go public as the public is harmed. I am glad that the professor had the good sense to resign, for his credibility was gone and thus, no matter how excellent were his presentations or research, his veracity would be questionable by many.

Arthur Ide, PhD, at 9:09 am EST on December 6, 2005

Confidentiality in Tenure Decisions

John Wilson asks good questions. Additionally, one might ask why academic institutions do not run detailed background checks on those individuals they are considering for tenure, including criminal checks. Histories of assault, rape, and harassment [see the recent firing of a tenured prof in Wisconsin] as well as lying about military service records and other claims about one’s professional accomplishments can be easily uncovered and prevent a great deal of trouble as well as potential abuse.

MA, at 9:32 am EST on December 6, 2005

Mr. Bradford and tenure

The link below shows the published profile of Mr. Bradford. The profile clearly states that he was in the U.S Military from 1994 to 2002. I am not familiar with the other claims made in this article by Mr. Bradford. If they really are lies, then he should not be granted tenure. The same ground rules that apply to Ward Churchill should be applied to Mr. Bradford.

http://indylaw.indiana.edu/people/profile.cfm?Id=126

feudi pandola, at 9:33 am EST on December 6, 2005

Going Public

Now, really. Isn’t it fundamentally unfair that a disgruntled professor should be able to vilify a personnel committee’s work in the mass media and the committee be required to remain silent? It seems to me that when he or she accuses, the institution ought to have the right (maybe even obligation to its students and faculty) to respond in kind. I do not know what the particular background is in this case, but I have known of several instances in which a liar, and possibly dangerous, person slandered an institution while the administration and faculty were compelled to silence. Fortunately, this sort of mud doesn’t usually stick,but it may leave a lingering unjust impression of our profession.

J. Madison Davis, Professor at University of Oklahoma, at 10:04 am EST on December 6, 2005

The professor not being checked out completely is not as uncommon as some would like to think. Sad but true.

jz, at 11:29 am EST on December 6, 2005

Thanks a Bunch!

Great! Thank you, Mr. Bradford. Now it is that much harder for the rest of us conservatives in the academy to convince the rest of the profession that we aren’t just a bunch of a**holes. Big help.

Cicero, at 12:19 pm EST on December 6, 2005

Bradford and Liberals

While I am glad this professor quit after his fabrication of a military record and false statements to students, faculty and the media, this still makes me wonder about the political state of the university.

Bradford is called out for military service, while Churchill called out on his ethnicity still stands. His scholarship is excellent while Churchill’s is a mess (and pocketed with plagiarism). He generally is regarded as an excellent teacher (by his students) while Churchill was among the most disliked on his campus.

Yet, it is Bradford who is gone and Churchill who still stays.

Bradford’s complaints to the media about “political discrimination” are rightfully criticized. What about the complaints of “racist hiring” and “sexist hiring” that we hear every week? Where is the complementary backlash?

Kevin, Undergraduate, at 1:41 pm EST on December 6, 2005

Left/Right Nonsense

Cicero:This is no more a mark on conservatives than someone like Ward Churchill is on liberals. In response to the story about the adjunct community college intructor who sent an ill-advised email to a student, I noted that it was the exceptional case that made the news. True, I was engaged in a debate about the nature of tenure, but my underlying point stands: the exceptions are rare and should not be used, by either side, to paint one end of the spectrum.

Kevin:I agree that Churchill’s errors are greater, but I also feel that he has acted dishonorably in the face of the charges against him. Bradford resigned. We can say that he might have been forced to resign, but nothing so far indicates that.

On a more general note:I am pleased that IHE has Alan L. Contreras’ piece up about rating programs instead of entire campuses. I think we need to do the same things with regard to political bias. I think that liberals may well be getting short shrift in business departments, for instance. I am firmly convinced that this, if it is ever proven true, has nothing to do with the kind of person who would choose to enter such a field. After all, the relative scarcity of conservatives teaching queer studies is a clear indication of bias, too.

Can we stop, for a moment, asking what the numbers show and ask what made them as they are? It would also be great if we could avoid conspiracy theories, post hoc arguments, and non sequiturs.

Andrew Purvis, at 3:47 pm EST on December 6, 2005

Resignation is always appropriate in this circumstance

“Bradford’s deceptions are bizarre and disturbing, but not grounds for firing him.” — John K. Wilson (first comment above)

Well, he wasn’t fired, but his credibility was destroyed. He resigned when faced with his lies over military service. All other issues (Ward Churchill, charges of bias, etc.) do not matter when someone takes on the mantle (and with it the thanks of a nation) of military service to which he is not entitled.

That is part of our contract with the men and women who defend us. We will honor their service as appropriate and shun fakers.

Let him go now and repent. And come back with a second crack at his life — with no lies.

Steve Barton, Major, USA Retired, at 6:08 pm EST on December 6, 2005

Right/Left Nonsense?

The same argument “it is only a few” can be repeated 100,000,000 times, a la GWB & LBJ — that excuse will never — n-e-v-e-r — convince those who have actually seen, face-to-face, that the problem “more than a few.”

As to ” .. liberals may well be getting short shrift in business departments ..”

For at least the third time in IHE — the only empirical studies on this topic done so far indicate a 50-50 political split in business colleges. Why this has to be corrected, time after time, is a mystery. It is becoming tedious, to the point of idiocy.

As to ” .. relative scarcity of conservatives teaching queer studies is a clear indication of bias ..”

Why not ask those departments? Why not ask the Log Cabin Republicans? Then post something other than just your own opinions? Is that too much to ask?

Art D., at 8:24 pm EST on December 6, 2005

Notify the BAR

His angered colleagues ought to notify the BAR and Bradford’s law school. This clown ought not to be practicing or teaching law. It would come as no suprise to me if an inquiry into Mr. Bradford’s publishing history revealed either plagiarism or trumped-up data; liars tend to spread their lies around and I would imagine that Mr. Bradford is no different.

Basil Ransom, Grad Student at on the East Coast, at 9:01 pm EST on December 6, 2005

I am sure that someone will file a complaint with the bar. However, I wonder who is really hurt by his lies. He did not seem to represent anyone, and while his behavior lacks “character” usually people are given a pass when their character lapses occur after admission (unless they are convicted of a felony).

Kevin, Ward Churchill has still not been found to have done anything wrong. Though, I think Churchill saw more action when he was in the service. This guy appears to have admitted his sins. I don’t know which is worse. Whatever the case, I am unsure how you are capable of judging his written works. 1) You have told me – in fact, bragged – that you don’t read legal scholarship; 2) legal scholarship, if anything, cite-checks and most people can spot legal plagiarism a mile away; and 3) some people think that the quality of legal scholarship on the whole is lower than other academic fields, because they like the idea of more tightly-controlled peer review processes. Finally, you describe your reason to get Churchill as a “hunt” – so it is unlikely that you are undertaking seriously inquiry into either of these peoples’ scholarship.

Larry, at 7:50 am EST on December 7, 2005

The “Wannabe” connundrum

Another splendid example of what I call the “wannabe connundrum.” A person invents past credentials, like distinguished military service, in order to elevate his status and visibility — seemingly oblivious to the fact that elevating one’s status and visibility will inevitably draw more scrutiny and lead to exposure and disgrace. Why do supposedly intelligent people never learn?

Ralph Hitchens, at 10:11 am EST on December 7, 2005

Right-left nonsense

“For at least the third time in IHE — the only empirical studies on this topic done so far indicate a 50-50 political split in business colleges. Why this has to be corrected, time after time, is a mystery. It is becoming tedious, to the point of idiocy.”

Perhaps if you would provide a link or a reference you wouldn’t have to repeat this “information” so often.

Andrew Hughes, at 11:10 am EST on December 7, 2005

For the 10,000th time ..

Hey, Gramps,

There’s this really cool thing called Googie. It helps you find stuff. Like citations ..

http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.17443/article_detail.asp

http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol3/iss2/art8/

And these ..

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/08/16/teaching

http://insidehighered.com/views/2005/05/23/johnson

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/08/26/johnson

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/08/03/neal

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/18/aft

http://insidehighered.com/news/2005/07/07/tabor

From this ..

http://www.google.com/search?as_q...d.com&as_rights=&safe=images

Don’t forget to join your pals at the seniors’ coffee hour. Andy is so funny, continuing to repeat the same thing over — “there is no overt liberal bias in classrooms.” He’s so funny, repeating the same thing over and over again, just like he was LBJ, JFK, GWB, or Slick Willie.

Art D., Innocent, first-hand victim of liberal bias at several classrooms, at 1:48 pm EST on December 7, 2005

Sad Circumstances

It is unfortunate that Prof. Bradford has not conducted himself ethically in this matter. It seems to be an attempt of character assassination, but the gun backfired and it is his character that is dying.

Cheers to those who weathered the “infantile politics” of this conflict. Jeers to FrontPage and David Horowitz for not being sufficiently skeptical. An, “eh” to Bill OReilly for giving airtime, but at least not taking a position on the matter. And jeers to those in the blogosphere who took this at face value.

Hoosier, at 9:44 am EST on December 10, 2005

Art-less

Let us review (because I apparently need to clarify, which is not the same as repetition):

1) I have never even suggested that any individual who claims to have been subject to political bias (liberal, conservative, or other) has not been.

2) I have never claimed that there is no bias anywhere. I have, however, asked for any proof that it is as widespread as some people claim, yet no one has supplied more than a handful of cases in the media or a vague claim or two about personal situations.

Art can go on with false analogies all he likes and try to attack me. but until he actually addresses my uestions, he will remain as irrelevant as many (wrongly) regard his namesake.

One more thing, Art: if you believe that a reader’s ability to find evidence via Google or other means somehow lets you off the hook, be glad you have no professors who flunk you for plagiarism. You may well find yourself cast out, and without any bias but one against poor scholarship.

Andrew Purvis, at 4:27 pm EST on December 11, 2005

Liberal faculties

In response to Andrew, there is plenty of evidence that there is a tremendous bias towards liberalism among the faculty of higher education institutions. If you don’t think so, please explain why political gift giving is so heavily weighted towards liberals and/or the Democratic Party candidates every year? I’m not talking about a slight bias. At Princeton, to cite just one example, the faculty gave over 95% of all donations to the Dems or to liberals. That rate was common among major colleges throughout the nation.

So yes, there IS a rather extreme bias towards liberalism among faculty. Dollars speak more loudly than words...

feudi pandola, at 9:18 am EST on December 20, 2005

All of this surprises me, but at the same time does not. As a student at the school, I was amazed at how vocally he was in bashing of other beloved professors.

I never had Bradford, but his students spoke very highly of him. It’s too bad, as he truly held a role model position to many. I can’t say that I am surprised to find out that his military record is a bit different than advertised, but I can see no reason of lying.

In a profession that is based WHOLLY on your reputation, one would not figure that inflating your credentials would not be worth the risk to your career.

It’s not like he had need to brag. Degree’s from NW and Harvard will not leave him wanting. It’s a shame. I still love my school, though!

Joe D, Not Surprising at IU-Indy Law School, at 12:29 pm EST on January 6, 2006

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