How much of a distraction has embattled Professor Ward Churchill been to folks at the University of Colorado-Boulder? A June 6 press release sent out by Michelle McKinney, director of communications for CU president Hank Brown, offers a clue.

The missive was sent out shortly after another notice announced a special meeting of CU's Board of Regents on Friday, June 8. And while the initial e-mail made no mention of Churchill, spotlighting instead such matters as the issuance of "university enterprise revenue bonds," McKinney felt compelled to stress that the exclusion was purposeful. "Please be aware that there will be NO discussion regarding professor Churchill at this meeting," she wrote.

At this point, regents apparently fear that if Churchill's name comes up in any way, they'll get absolutely nothing of substance done. No wonder Brown wants a separation of Churchill and the state university. -- Michael Roberts