Rogers nixes Hoppe sabbatical

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

Embattled UNLV economics professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe may get his requested exoneration, but he can say goodbye to his request for a one-year sabbatical, Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers said Tuesday.

"The system will not agree to that," Rogers said.

Rogers met with Hoppe's attorneys Tuesday afternoon in an effort to finally resolve a nearly one-year investigation over whether comments Hoppe made about the spending and saving habits of homosexuals were or were not protected by academic freedom.

Rogers said he will be working with Albert Marquis, Hoppe's attorney, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, to draft a statement that will clear Hoppe of any wrongdoing and "make sure that things like this don't happen in the future."

Both Rogers and Hoppe's attorneys said they believed Hoppe's comments were protected by academic freedom and the First Amendment, and they wanted to draft a policy that would affirm that.

"This is a positive step for Mr. Hoppe and the university," Marquis said.

After Rogers' intervention, UNLV President Carol Harter agreed to drop the discrimination complaint against Hoppe on Friday. She wrote in a message to the UNLV community that while academic freedom must be balanced with academic responsibility, "academic freedom, must, in the end, be foremost."

Because the university had previously accused Hoppe of discrimination, he and his attorneys said they were upset that Harter did not explicitly vindicate Hoppe.

As for the sabbatical, Hoppe had requested it to make up for the time lost on his research because of the year-long drama revolving around his lecture.