God and Man at Brooklyn College

Let us open this editorial with the thought that the president of Brooklyn College, Christoph Kimmich, is probably underpaid. We've met him a couple of times now and we've found him to be a wonderful, idealistic educator. We never asked him, but it's hard to imagine that when he started his career in education, full of ideals, he thought he signed up for what he's probably going to have to spend a good part of his summer or fall doing, which is dealing with a sociology department chairman who believes that religious people are "moral retards" and who is now in line to play a role in the tenure process.

Mr. Kimmich has sent in a letter, which is printed in the adjacent column, saying that not only does he disagree with the hostility to religion on the part of the professor involved, Timothy Shortell, but that he has convened a committee of three high-ranking Brooklyn College officials and asked them to investigate the situation and report back. He notes that there are no specific complaints filed against Professor Shortell, whose repugnant views were the subject of an editorial in this space last week and, subsequently, a few news dispatches around town. Mr. Kimmich represents that the review is intended to "preserve the rights of all involved."

We hope this includes the rights of the taxpayers of the city and state who underwrite so much of what happens at Brooklyn College and the college as an incorporated body itself. They have got to have the right to draw the line at what kind of person they want teaching students and participating in the tenure process. If a professor had spoken of, say, gay persons or Jews as moral retards, it's a safe bet that things would not be dealt with quite so delicately as they seem to be on Brooklyn College's campus at the moment. The best way for Mr. Kimmich to emerge from Brooklyn College with the reputation of a leader is to confront the bigotry on his campus at a time when all too many college presidents seem too timid to do so.