Summer of discontent: protest at Iliff Seminary

Christian Century, Sept 24, 1997 by Cathleen Falsani

Donald Messer considers himself a lifelong liberal and social activist. During the 1960s he marched against racial injustice and protested the war in Vietnam. But lately he's found himself the target of protesters, facing charges that the seminary he heads, Iliff School of Theology, has been dragging its feet in becoming a more culturally and ethnically diverse school.

The Denver seminary known for its liberalism became embroiled in a heated battle this summer over allegations of racism and abuse of power. The controversy culminated in the arrest of several student protesters and a dramatic monthlong hunger strike by five students. Messer was characterized by some protesters as myopic, out-of-touch and subtly racist.

"I am, frankly, used to being attacked by the extreme right," Messer said. "That's been my whole life -- a liberal being attacked by the right. I'm not used to being attacked by the liberal left."

Critics have charged that during Messer's 16 years as president not one woman hired under his administration has received tenure. They also say that only limited efforts have been made to attract minority faculty and students.

Messer has answered detractors by citing the addition of Jewish, Buddhist, Native American and African-American professors to the faculty. "We are much more diverse than most theological schools today," Messer said. It is a rare school, he said, "that has persons of other religious persuasions even as adjuncts." Messer has also boasted of adding several women administrators, including a woman as dean -- one of the first female deans at a Methodist seminary.

Of Iliff's 340 students, 58 percent are women and 18 percent are persons of color or international students. In 1996, three of 19 faculty members were persons of color. In this academic year Iliff will add a second Hispanic man and its first Asian woman to the faculty.

But student and faculty critics say a school that claims to be on the cutting edge should be even more diverse. George Tinker, a professor at Iliff since 1985 and the sole Native American on the faculty, said: "Iliff as a liberal institution has said, ever since I came, it is about increasing faculty diversity substantially. That [means] creating a critical mass of faculties of color so we have a real part instead of just a marginal role in the institution."

Tensions first escalated in June 1996 when a popular woman instructor was denied tenure, despite overwhelming support for her from students and faculty. Paula Nesbitt, who had taught religion and social change for six years, was an outspoken proponent of diversity and a vocal critic of the school's deficiencies in this area. Messer noted that Nesbitt, who is white, is the only professor eligible for tenure who hasn't received it since 1981.

What amounted to Nesbitt's dismissal sparked an uproar among her supporters, and was particularly a sore point with many students of color. Some students complained, wrote letters, circulated petitions and staged protests.

In March 1997 it was revealed that the trustees had overturned their decision and granted Nesbitt tenure and promotion -- but with the agreement that she would resign immediately, which she did. A legal agreement between Nesbitt and the school has prevented either side from divulging the reasons for her departure. Many in the Iliff community have speculated that the professor's vocal efforts to improve the school's diversity were her downfall.

Messer vehemently dismisses that claim. "The board [of trustees] doesn't make decisions based on personality conflicts. That's a totally erroneous idea," he said. "There are people on the board who are bishops of the church, who are federal judges, who are psychologists. They don't make casual decisions."

Nonetheless, some students were alarmed by what they viewed as the administration's secrecy and "misuse of power." The Nesbitt affair added to some students' perception that the school had only a nominal commitment to ethnic and cultural diversity.

On May 14, the same day the board of trustees held a meeting on campus at the behest of students and faculty, members of the seminary's Students of Color and Student Intergroup Coalition announced that they would occupy Iliff's chapel 24 hours a day and hold a vigil until their concerns were addressed. Shortly after 10 P.M., when the seminary buildings were closed, an administrator asked student protesters to leave. When they refused, the administration called in campus security and the Denver police.

Eight students were arrested. They opted not to post bail and spent the night in the city lockup. After a hearing, they were released and a court date was set for the end of July.

A wave of media attention bombarded the school and tension mounted as five student protesters began a water fast, which would last more than a month. Many people inside and outside the Iliff community were outraged by the use of police against the protesters, who were reportedly praying quietly when they were removed from the chapel.