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Librarian accused of 'sexual harassment' after recommending 'Marketing of Evil'


After the entire faculty voted, with no dissenters, to brand their head librarian as a sexual harasser because he recommended the bestselling book "The Marketing of Evil" as required reading for freshmen, Ohio State University has finally dropped its controversial charges in the glare of national media attention.

But, warns the librarian's attorney, who calls this one of the most "astonishing" and "shameful" instances of campus persecution he's ever seen, the damage to his client's reputation and career has been done. They've already filed a complaint against three professors for false accusations of harassment and are discussing a more "substantial" response – including possible litigation – to "deter any future tyranny or bullying of others."

As WND first reported, Scott Savage, a devout Quaker, is head of Reference and Instructional Services at the Bromfield Library on Ohio State University's Mansfield campus. As a member of the university's First Year Reading Experience Committee, Savage had suggested four books be considered as required reading for incoming freshmen: "The Marketing of Evil" by David Kupelian, "The Professors" by David Horowitz, "Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis" by Bat Ye'or, and "It Takes a Family" by Sen. Rick Santorum. Savage made the recommendations after other committee members had suggested a series of books with a left-wing perspective, by authors such as Jimmy Carter and Maria Shriver.

However, three professors – two of them openly homosexual – filed a complaint of discrimination and harassment, contending Kupelian's book was "hate literature" which "threatened" them and made them feel "unsafe" on campus. After a 21-0 faculty vote (with 9 abstentions) on March 13, the school's Office of Human Resources put Savage under "investigation." The full-faculty vote was rescinded two days later for legal reasons, and the three offended professors filed the harassment complaint.

The professors who filed the complaint against Savage are Hannibal Hamlin, Norman Jones and J.K. Buckley. Jones teaches courses in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature, and according to his bio, "his current research focuses on sexuality and spirituality, particularly exploring the phenomenon of the 'post-secular queer' in contemporary literature." Buckley has written "The Social Critic: The Rise of Queer Performance Within the Demise of Transcendentalism" as well as "articles on sexual orientation in Hemingway and Melville."

Stepping up to defend Savage has been the Arizona-based public-interest law firm, the Alliance Defense Fund, which on March 28 filed a "Cease and Desist" letter to OSU Mansfield officials.

Undeterred, the university pressed on in its "investigation" of Savage, insisting it takes "any allegation of sexual harassment seriously."

The ADF filing linked above includes, as evidentiary exhibits, the condemnations of Savage and Kupelian made by OSU professors in intra-faculty e-mails March 9. The professors' comments include:

Hannibal Hamlin: "Re Kupelian's book, would you advocate a book that was racist or antisemitic, or are you arguing that homosexuals are not in the same category and that homophobia is not therefore a matter of discrimination but of rational argument? And what are we supposed to make of the fact that Kupelian's Armenian family died in the holocaust? Does this mean that he then has the right to spout bigotry about other minorities with impunity?"

Norman Jones: "The anti-gay book Scott Savage endorses falsely claims that 'the widely revered father of the "sexual revolution" has been irrefutably exposed as a full-fledged sexual psychopath who encouraged pedophilia.' This is a factually untrue characterization of Dr. Kinsey and his work on every point. ... I am frankly embarrassed for you, Scott, that you would endorse this kind of homophobic tripe."

J.K. Buckley: "As a gay man I have long ago realized that the world is full of homophobic, hate-mongers who, of course, say that they are not. So I am not shocked, only deeply saddened – and THREATENED – that such mindless folks are on this great campus. ... You have made me fearful and uneasy being a gay man on this campus. I am, in fact, notifying the OSU-M campus, and Ohio State University in general, that I no longer feel safe doing my job. I am being harassed."

Finally, since WorldNetDaily, Sean Hannity, MSNBC and dozens of bloggers and talk show hosts have brought the case to national attention over the last few days, Ohio State University has reportedly reversed course. That is, the Mansfield campus's dean and director, Evelyn B. Freeman, has now notified the faculty that the charges have been dropped, although – strangely – neither Savage nor his ADF attorneys have been notified of that fact.

Here's the e-mail the faculty received from Freeman:

    Dear Faculty and Staff,

    The Ohio State University is strongly committed to the free, open, and civil exchange of views as part of the educational process. To prepare our students for success, we must have an atmosphere where students, staff and faculty are free to express opinions and where different points of view are not only tolerated, but welcomed. I want to affirm President Holbrook's April 5 message to the campus community: "Ohio State is a caring community that rejects racism, homophobia, gender-bias, religious intolerance and other forms of prejudice, exclusion, and disrespect."

    It is unfortunate that conflicting viewpoints on the Mansfield campus escalated to charges of harassment. After a thorough investigation of complaints raised by faculty members against a reference librarian, the University has determined that there were no findings of harassment. However, the news media has now picked up on this incident and you will likely be seeing some coverage in the state and national news.

    I hope we can all learn from this incident. We recognize that in the course of robust intellectual debate in and out of the classroom, there exists the potential for conflict. But we have to handle that conflict responsibly and with collegiality. We will be taking a number of steps to help create a more welcoming atmosphere on the Mansfield campus by offering additional training for faculty and staff. We also will work to reinforce a better understanding of the principles of academic rights and responsibilities, and to ensure the respect for diversity of all kinds.

    Sincerely,

    Evie

    Evelyn B. Freeman, Dean and Director
    The Ohio State University at Mansfield

So is the case over?

Not by a long shot, says David French, Savage's attorney and director of ADF's Center for Academic Freedom, who says the librarian is carefully "weighing his options."

"Scott's exploring litigation – he has already filed an internal complaint accusing the professors of a false allegation of harassment. But he is definitely exploring possibilities of litigation," said the ADF attorney.

"While we're glad there was no finding of harassment – that's merely common sense on the part of the university – we're upset there hasn't been a direct communication of that fact to Scott or his attorneys."

Much more importantly, said French, "the damage has been done" to Scott's career and reputation. "Ohio State University allowed its resources to be used in a campaign of slander and defamation." Saying Savage "wants to do something substantial to deter any future tyranny or bullying of others," French concluded: "We're certainly glad Scott has been exonerated, but by no means is this over."

One consequence of the case, surely unintended by the professors condemning Kupelian's book as "homophobic tripe" and "hate literature," is that "The Marketing of Evil" has shot up the nation's bestsellers lists, where it currently is ranked No. 1 on Amazon.com's "Current Events" bestseller chart.

The reason for the massive interest in Kupelian's book? The following letter, one of many sent in response to the column about the case by Rebecca Hagelin, tells the story.

    I hope you can forward the information to the faculty of OSU-M that I, for one, had not yet heard of the book, "The Marketing of Evil." But because of their hysteria and hypocritical intolerance, I have decided that it is something I should definitely read. I intend to buy a copy, and perhaps an extra to pass. In spite of themselves, these would-be thought controllers are serving as a beacon of light, showing the way to valuable literature!

Released in August, "The Marketing of Evil" has become one of the nation's most talked-about books, widely praised by Dr. Laura, David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, D. James Kennedy and many others and garnering over 100 five-star reader reviews on Amazon.com.

In one final irony: "The Marketing of Evil" is readily available in the Ohio State University bookstore.

University rebuffs 'gay' profs, warns librarian not to retaliate
Christian staffer called 'sexual harasser' for recommending 'Marketing of Evil'


Warning him that "retaliation in any form is prohibited," Ohio State University yesterday officially informed a Christian librarian that charges of sexual harassment leveled at him by two homosexual professors – just for recommending "The Marketing of Evil" to the freshman class – were without merit.

In what has been widely reported as one of the most bizarre cases of campus mistreatment of Christians, Scott Savage was condemned by a 21-0 faculty vote (with nine abstentions) on March 13 to be formally investigated for sexual harassment. Several professors had become extremely upset over Savage's nomination of David Kupelian's acclaimed but controversial best-seller, which includes a chapter exposing the marketing strategies and tactics of the "gay rights" movement.

Savage is a pious Quaker who, like the Amish, rides a horse and buggy to the university where he works as head of Reference and Instructional Services at the Bromfield Library on Ohio State University's Mansfield campus.

In a March 9 inter-faculty e-mail, Buckley, one of the accusing professors, had reacted this way to Savage's recommendation that "The Marketing of Evil" be required reading for incoming freshmen: "As a gay man I have long ago realized that the world is full of homophobic, hate-mongers who, of course, say that they are not. So I am not shocked, only deeply saddened – and THREATENED – that such mindless folks are on this great campus. ... You have made me fearful and uneasy being a gay man on this campus. I am, in fact, notifying the OSU-M campus, and Ohio State University in general, that I no longer feel safe doing my job. I am being harassed."

However, in a letter dated April 6 – but mysteriously not postmarked until April 18, and received by Savage yesterday – the university informed Scott Savage that the faculty had overstepped their bounds:

    Dear Mr. Savage:

    On March 16, 2006, Gary Kennedy, Associate Professor and Faculty President, filed an allegation of discrimination/harassment complaint on behalf of Norman Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English and James Buckley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, all of whom are faculty members of The Ohio State University Mansfield regional campus, against you.

    Based on the statements, interviews and documentary evidence provided into this inquiry, it is determined there is no finding of discrimination/harassment on your part.

    However well intentioned the actions of Professors Jones and Buckley, the fact remains their claims of discrimination and/or harassment based on your suggestion of a book does not meet established university policy criteria for filing such a claim. …

If the complaint violated "established university policy criteria," why did the entire faculty vote in favor of the claim?

"I'd say it's for the same reason about a third of the faculty completely abstained from voting," commented Kupelian. "Those nine faculty members knew the charges of sexual harassment against this poor librarian were ridiculous and that they couldn't vote yes. But they also didn't want to be accused by the rest of the faculty of being homophobes and bigots. So they didn't vote. The entire faculty – those who voted yes, and those who abstained from voting – wanted to be certain they were not tarred as haters and Neanderthals."

"Those nine abstentions are just one more proof that the OSU Mansfield campus is a place of fear and intimidation, not one of openness, robust inquiry and free speech as the faculty members imagine," Kupelian added.

"What boggles my mind," said David French, lead attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, which has taken up Savage's case, "is that nobody voted against accusing a librarian of sexual harassment for recommending a book."

After informing Savage the allegations were unfounded, the letter suggested a new round of anti-discrimination and harassment training was in order.

"What colleges normally do in this situation," explained French, "is to first do what is necessary to defuse the immediate crisis. Then they go into the 're-education process,' where they bring in the experts to discuss how hurtful and painful it is when people discuss Judeo-Christian morality on campus."

Indeed, among the letter's "Recommendations" was this:

    Promote frank, open and respectful discussion among faculty and library staff, in particular and among all staff in general. Dr. Jones had indicated that maybe he could be a liaison person to spearhead this effort.

Ironically, Jones – who had just falsely accused Savage of sexual harassment, and strongly attacked Kupelian's book – was being suggested as the point man responsible for leading the faculty in "open and respectful discussion" of differences.

More ominously, the letter to Savage – signed by T. Glenn Hill of the university's Office of Human Resources – appears to end with a warning to the party who had been falsely accused:

    … keep in mind that retaliation in any form is prohibited, per university, state and federal law.

But as WorldNetDaily reported, attorney French says the damage to his client's reputation and career has been done. In fact, Savage has already filed a complaint against the three professors for false accusations of harassment, and he is discussing with ADF a more "substantial" response – including possible litigation.

"Ohio State University allowed its resources to be used in a campaign of slander and defamation," said French, adding Savage "wants to do something substantial to deter any future tyranny or bullying of others."

Since WorldNetDaily broke the story Saturday, it has been reported by Sean Hannity, MSNBC, Fox News, the New York Post, Human Events, and dozens of bloggers and talk show hosts.

Released in August, "The Marketing of Evil" has been widely praised by Dr. Laura, David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, D. James Kennedy and many others and garnered over 100 five-star reader reviews on Amazon.com.

As a direct consequence of being "banned" as "hate literature" and "homophobic tripe" by the OSU faculty, "The Marketing of Evil" has become one of the hottest-selling books in the country, topping Amazon.com's "Current Events" bestseller chart for the past three days.

THE NUTTY PROFESSORS
'Marketing of Evil' locked out of college libraries
Bestselling book stocked only in fraction of facilities carrying liberal-left titles


The attack on "The Marketing of Evil" by professors at Ohio State University – who branded their head librarian a "sexual harasser" simply for recommending all freshmen read the bestselling book – is making some librarians wonder if they too may be persecuted for selecting "conservative" books.

"I've asked my colleagues in the Virginia Tech library whether they have become fearful of actually purchasing books for the Tech libraries, given what happened to Mr. Savage for merely recommending a book for a reading list," said one veteran librarian at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va.

"Mr. Savage" of course is Scott Savage – a devout Quaker and head research librarian at OSU's Mansfield, Ohio, campus. Last month, as a member of the university's First Year Reading Experience Committee, Savage suggested four books be considered as required reading for incoming freshmen: "The Marketing of Evil" by David Kupelian, "The Professors" by David Horowitz, "Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis" by Bat Ye'or, and "It Takes a Family" by Sen. Rick Santorum.

Unexpectedly, however, the book suggestions drew blood. Three professors – two openly homosexual – condemned "The Marketing of Evil" as "hate literature" and "homophobic tripe" and filed a sexual harassment complaint against the librarian, contending his suggestion that students should read Kupelian's book "threatened" them and made them feel "unsafe" and "harassed" on campus. After a stunning 21-0 faculty vote (with 9 abstentions) on March 13, the school launched an official "investigation" of Savage for "harassment due to sexual orientation."

Defended by the Christian law firm Alliance Defense Fund, and with widespread media coverage for the last 10 days, OSU finally reversed itself and notified Savage last week that the harassment charges had been dropped. But now Savage and his lawyers are considering some sort of legal action against the university.

Question: If conservative books – even popular bestsellers – and their authors attract so much condemnation on college campuses today, how is that bias reflected in the schools' library systems?

The Virginia Tech librarian ran a database search on "The Marketing of Evil" to see how many libraries worldwide had a copy, and came up with some surprising results. He searched WorldCat, an online database of the Dublin, Ohio-based Online Computer Library Center, or OCLC, which is accessed by more than 53,548 libraries in 96 countries and territories worldwide.

"According to WorldCat," he said, "only 188 libraries worldwide report owning a copy of 'The Marketing of Evil.' I'm pleased that Virginia Tech is one of only eight libraries in Virginia that reports owning the book. I had requested it because I wanted to read it. One of my colleagues saw to it that it was purchased. We are now pleased to see that it is currently checked out."

"But," he added, "could we be at risk for recommending the book and adding it to the collection? We'll have to get more books like this to find out."

Of the many academic libraries in Virginia, he added, "only two of six public doctoral institutions (Virginia Tech and University of Virginia), and two private universities (Regent University and Liberty University) report owning a copy of the book."

"In North Carolina, UNC Wilmington and Elon U. are the only 4-year institutions that report owning the book," he said. "And in Ohio, home of the controversy, not a single academic library reports owning the book, though nine public libraries report owning it."

Other "conservative" books – despite their bestseller status with the public – often do not end up in university libraries, he said. "Books by Regnery Publishing seem especially unpopular on campuses. For example, only 185 libraries report owning a copy of 'The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science.' Only NC State and two public libraries in North Carolina report owning a copy."

"Perhaps we need some philanthropist to start donating such books to libraries across the country," he quipped.

But would the libraries accept the books, even if donated?

"Everything has changed in libraries," Savage explained, noting that many, though certainly not all, librarians "strongly disassociate themselves from anything on the right."

Indeed, the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library association in the world with more than 64,000 members, is unapologetically left-wing. It is currently debating whether to sever all ties with the Boy Scouts of America, vigorously defends the acquisition of X-rated children's books in public libraries, and has repeatedly defended communist dictator Fidel Castro over dissident librarians imprisoned in Cuba.

Predictably, as the Virginia Tech librarian told WND, "the American Library Association has had an incredible silence about Scott Savage. Here's a librarian under attack for recommending a book!"

With such a leftist leadership, said Savage, in many libraries there isn't much likelihood of conservative, traditional-values-oriented books ending up on the shelves.

For a lot of librarians, said Savage, "it's a nonessential purchase if it's on the right."

Savage confirmed the WorldCat database search for "The Marketing of Evil" in Ohio institutions of higher learning.

"I can give you stats for the 84 Ohio colleges and universities and the state library," he said. "There are zip – zero – none of them have it in their collection."

Not every library links to OCLC, so the statistics on WorldCat are not totally inclusive, but are very valuable – and accurate – for comparison purposes.

Here's a comparison between "The Marketing of Evil" and another bestselling book, one written by an unabashedly liberal author: Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America." Here's how the books lined up.

#  "Nickel and Dimed": 3,542 copies in libraries worldwide.

# "The Marketing of Evil": 188 copies in libraries worldwide

Released in August, "The Marketing of Evil" has become one of the nation's most talked-about books, widely praised by Dr. Laura, David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, D. James Kennedy and many others and garnering over 100 five-star reader reviews on Amazon.com. Although some 1-star Amazon reviews attack Kupelian in the same vein as the OSU professors, most readers sound a very different message, as reflected in the following reviews:

# "Incredible. If you really want to know the truth, read this book. ... It makes sense and is one of the best books ever written."

# "Opening this book is like turning on the Sun. … Mr. David Kupelian has written a remarkable book that reveals how the American public has been taken down the slippery slope of moral relativism."

# "I finished "The Marketing of Evil" over a month ago. It absolutely changed my life."

# "Prepare to see your world with new eyes!"

# "Read this book and you will start seeing the lies more clearly and you will then be on the path to truth. It will be very painful for some to admit the truth. You will have to say to yourself, as I did, "Oh my God. All those precious years wasted living by these lies." … In the long run you will feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for having read this book."

# "This book has put a powerful voice to many things that truth-loving people in America have felt in their spirits for a long, long time. … I like my medicine straight and my truth even straighter, and this book delivers, with no apologies or flinching. … I for one am forever changed."

# "This was a great book!! So truthful. Should be required reading."

# "The Marketing of Evil" irritates only those who hate the light of day, goodness, family and the Truth. I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for an explanation of the simple question: 'How could we (Western Civilization) have sunk to such depraved depths?'"

# "David Kupelian has authored a masterpiece that belongs in every home in America next to the Family Bible."

# "This book may offend those with a secular, humanistic, left-wing outlook but I feel that it is required reading for our time. Indeed, it is one of the best books that I have read for some time."