Tuesday, November 12, 1996
FACULTY:
Visiting law professor drawn toward campus’ tolerant natureBy
Ryan Tate
The Daily Californian
BERKELEY, Calif. — Anita Hill, the law professor made famous by
her charges of sexual harassment against now-Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas, is expected to join the UC Berkeley faculty next
semester.
Hill resigned from the University of Oklahoma last Thursday
after teaching there for nearly a decade. She said in a statement
that the open and tolerant nature of the UC Berkeley campus
persuaded her to switch universities.
"I balanced my desire to teach at one of the flagship research
universities in the state of my birth against my desire to work in
an academic setting whose support of diversity of ideas and
perspectives and appreciation of academic freedom is
uncompromising," Hill stated.
Hill will be a visiting professor, conducting research at the
Institute for the Study of Social Change and lecturing
occasionally. She is expected to stay at UC Berkeley for at least
one year.
In 1991, Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee
that she had been sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas, whom George
Bush had nominated to sit on the Supreme Court. Thomas denied the
charges and won the Senate’s confirmation and a seat on the
court.
But the incident galvanized national opposition to sexual
harassment and made Hill, who graduated from Yale Law School, a
symbol to some of the push to win more representation for women in
elected office.
Hill was persuaded to come to UC Berkeley by noted sociology
Professor Troy Duster, according to media reports.
Students expressed mixed feelings yesterday about Hill’s
decision.
"She is more than an academic  she is an extremely bright
lady," said ASUC Academic Affairs Vice President Christina Pak.
"She would do an excellent job here at Berkeley."
But UC Berkeley junior Chip White, a political science student,
said the last thing the campus needs is another politically liberal
professor.
"I think it’s indicative of the rampant liberalism we see here
in Berkeley," White said. "It’s a shame we have free speech for
some people and not for others.
"I hope the administration will rectify that by bringing in more
conservatives," White added.
White also said he was unhappy that Duster did not publicly
disclose his attempts to bring Hill to the university, arguing that
the recruitment process should have been conducted in a more public
fashion.
"I think the fact that there was secrecy involved indicates some
kind of deception or attempt to hide the truth until they find it
politically fit," White said.
Hill’s resignation was approved unanimously two weeks ago by the
University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.
Duster is known for his academic arguments in support of
affirmative action. He authored a landmark study defending UC
Berkeley’s affirmative action policies and emphasizing the
importance of cultural diversity in higher education.