Meantime, Florida Gulf Coast University's cronies give President William Merwin a $25,000 raise and perks such as a new car, new house, etc.

As a degreed journalist [Northern Illinois University - 1974], I can only be outraged by the trustees of this state funded university who have effecively censored Utah writer, Terry Tempest Williams.
She was to speak on - ironically enough - "The Open Space of Democracy".
The local paper, The Ft. Myers NEWS-PRESS, reports that her speaking engagement was scheduled for 10/24. Williams, herself, is quoted in it as saying: "This is not only a breach of contract. It is a breach of democracy."
Further, of the schoool's 13 trustees, six were appointed to their posts by Governor Jeb Bush, George Dubya's brother.
In my mind - such as the 'chad fiasco', even though Florida had used the SAME voting system for years - this maneuver smacks even more of what I have come to call "conservative communism." You who grew up with bomb drills in grade school remember the fear of the communists and what they stood for in the 50s and 60s. Their leadership stood for quashing any other point of view, declaring those who spoke out against the state to be an unpatriotic danger.
As for Author Williams, she is reported to have agreed to waive the $5,000 due her in order to exercise her right to freedom of speech.
To any freedom-loving American, this must be a sad comment on our democracy when anyone is denied their inalienable rights as underscored by the constitution - especially when it comes to agreeing with one's fellow citizen or not.
Incidentally, the Castle Valley author's book was one of three chosen for the university's freshman reading program whereby a work is read et al, critiqued literally and then orally discussed.
As for President Merwin, his defense is part was that public funds could not be used for something so 'blatantly political'.
Since the theme of Tempest's book is said to be about the ability to face opposing opinions in a democracy, I wish to digress in that - even though the author admits to being a Kerry supporter - a certain President and his trustee buddies are the ones who are being 'blatantly political'. They can label - as their own man, Bush, so loves to do - denying her right to speak whatever they may wish. Regardless, it is clear [even to the College Republicans of FGCU, for which they have my heartfelt applause as a political independent] that this action constitutes nothing less than censorship.