Tangle over 9/11 and academic freedom.GREAT NATIONAL TRAUMAS GIVE RISE TO CONSPIRACY theories ''This is a list of conspiracy theories; it contains alleged conspiracies that are not accepted by mainstream academics. For a discussion of conspiracy theories in general, see conspiracy theory. , and 9/11 is no exception. Bloggers and authors of other internet postings have posited for some time that the collapse of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center may have been caused by more than just airplanes crashing into them. Some members of the "9/11 truth movement," as it is called, claim that the U.S. government had a role in bringing down the towers, to further justify fighting terrorists and going to war. One believer is Steven Jones, a physics professor at Brigham Young University Brigham Young University, at Provo, Utah; Latter-Day Saints; coeducational; opened as an academy in 1875 and became a university in 1903. It is noted for its law and business schools. (Utah), who was put on paid leave last month for writing that there were "pre-positioned explosives," in the buildings that collapsed on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Jones, a member of the Scholars for 9/11 Truth, has further called for an independent international investigation of the collapse of the Twin Towers. He conveyed his opinions in an article that was posted on a BYU-hosted faculty web page that has since been taken down. Jones has admitted in published interviews that "junk science" has been used to explain the collapse of the Twin Towers, but he says his observations are part of a larger focus. His recent article also was published in the book 9/11 and the American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out. BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding administrators criticized Jones for publishing these observations in a non-scientific venue. The American Association of University Professors American Association of University Professors (AAUP), organization of college and university teachers. It was founded (1915) for the purpose of defending faculty rights, most notably academic freedom and tenure (see tenure, in education). immediately came to Jones' defense, saying that he has a right to academic freedom. Professors are free to express their opinions outside the classroom, says Jonathan Knight, director of Academic Freedom and Tenure for AAUP AAUP abbr. American Association of University Professors AAUP n abbr (= American Association of University Professors) → asociación de profesores universitarios AAUP , who adds that there are no known complaints of the professor using the classroom as a place to push his particular theories. Jones is known for being a good educator, he says. Knight further notes that William Woodward, a professor at the University of New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). , and Kevin Barrett, a part-time instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison “University of Wisconsin” redirects here. For other uses, see University of Wisconsin (disambiguation). A public, land-grant institution, UW-Madison offers a wide spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs, and student activities. , have each received media attention--and professional criticism--for suggesting that the U.S. had a hand in the 9/11 attacks, but they have not been put on leave by those institutions.--J.M.A. |
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