Though we all call it the University of Colorado, Colorado doesn't appear to be the state CU lives in. Rather, the university is living in a state of denial—at least when it comes down to their handling of the R. Igor Gamow sexual harassment case. After four years in federal court, the case ended with a substantial judgment against CU. Dana Ruehlman was awarded $285,000 for sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of Gamow, her former CU professor. Despite the jury's ruling, CU's official stance still appears to be in support of Gamow, a terrific guy who Ruehlman says raped her nearly 80 times between 1995 and 1998.

"While the university respects the jury's verdict, it disagrees with and is disappointed by its ultimate conclusion that Dr. Ruehlman was sexually harassed in the course of her employment," CU spokesman Barrie Hartman told the Daily Camera. "The university remains committed to promoting and maintaining an environment free from sexual harassment."

Say what? It's not as though CU hasn't already gone on the record condemning Gamow; they finally fired him, for "moral turpitude," in 2004, after more than two decade's worth of documented inappropriate behavior toward female colleagues and students.

"The evidence is clear and convincing that Professor Gamow has shown a pattern of engaging in unwanted sexual advances rising to the level of sexual assault toward undergraduate students and others," the CU Faculty Committee on Privilege and Tenure wrote.

But this wasn't enough evidence for CU's legal counsel. They preferred to fight Ruehlman in court, and they lost—big time. The jury took less than three hours to come to a decision in favor of Ruehlman. One would hope that CU might learn a lesson from this experience. But judging from Hartman's statements above, the university likes living in denial just fine. For the rest of us here in Colorado, that's a real shame.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia released new evidence last week that shows that the FBI has been conducting counterterrorism investigations into the School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch), a nonviolent human-rights group. The SOA Watch organizes yearly nonviolent demonstrations calling for the closure of the School of Americas, the controversial training school for Latin American soldiers. The SOA, renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in 2001, has trained some of Latin America's worst human-rights abusers, earning it the nickname "School of Assassins." According to the SOA Watch, the newly released documents demonstrate a clear attempt on the part of the FBI to stifle political opposition.

"We gather yearly to remember those killed by graduates of this school, and to nonviolently call for a change in U.S. policy toward Latin America," says Father Ray Bourgeois, the founder of SOA Watch. "It's clear that this surveillance is politically motivated, and it's a disgrace that instead of investigating any of the heinous crimes of graduates of the School of the Americas, our government is using its resources and time to monitor peaceful demonstrators, people who are working for true democracy in this country."

The documents released by the ACLU show that after 2001, FBI surveillance of the yearly demonstration became "priority" and subject to "counterterrorism" monitoring—even though the documents stress the nonviolent aspect of the protests. "Clearly the FBI knew it was spying on a peaceful demonstration, activity protected by the First Amendment," said Gerry Weber, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Georgia. "That vital protection includes those who express controversial beliefs."

Kenneth Starr—everyone's favorite former Whitewater special prosecutor—is back! Having taken on no less a target than Bill Clinton's presidency in the late '90s, he's now setting his sights on... Juneau, Alaska? Wait, it gets better. Starr will represent the city's school board in appealing a court ruling that came out in favor of a Juneau high school student who displayed a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner during a 2002 Olympic torch relay. In April, an appeals court found that school officials violated the student's free speech when they suspended him for 10 days following the incident, which we're sure was scarring for everyone involved. Starr feels so strongly about the case that he has agreed to take it on for free.

"Federal law requires us to maintain a consistent message that use of drugs like marijuana is harmful and illegal," said Phyllis Carlson, president of the school board. "Yet, when we try to enforce our policies, our administrators are sued and exposed to damage awards."

But, Phyllis, the student wasn't saying that everyone should take drugs—he was saying that Jesus ought to be able to partake every now and then. If anyone deserves some bong hits, it's him. After all, the dude died for our sins, right?

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com