Someone’s been in the ivory tower too long

I’ve haven’t been following the scandals involving the University of Colorado at Boulder’s football program too carefully. What I have read about it is at a welcome distance. As someone who used to teach there, I can’t say I’m particularly shocked by the catalogued behavior. The tendency of CU-Boulder university officials to say idiotic things hasn’t helped matters. One of the triggers for the mess was when coach Gary Barnett, in responding to questions about the alleged rape of female placekicker Katie Hnida by a teammate, called Hnida an “awful” player who “couldn’t kick the ball through the uprights.” Barnett was suspended pending an investigation, and later reinstated. Alas, CU-Boulder’s president, Elizabeth Hoffman, seems determined to follow Barnett’s ability to put one’s foot in one’s mouth. From the KUSA (NBC’s affiliate station in Denver) web site:

In a sworn statement, University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman said she has heard a four-letter word used toward women as a “term of endearment.” The comment comes from Hoffman’s latest sworn testimony in connection with a federal lawsuit against the university. 9NEWS received a copy of the passage in question from the university after sources both outside and inside CU told us about it. The suit was filed by women who say they were sexually assaulted by CU football players and recruits. A lawyer for one of the women asked Hoffman about former CU kicker Katie Hnida being called the “c- word” by a teammate. That player was later disciplined by coach Gary Barnett for making the remark. In the deposition, Hoffman was asked whether the “c-word” is “filthy and vile.” She said she knows the word is a swear word, but “It is all in the context of what–of how it is used and when it is used.” She was asked, “Can you indicate any polite context in which that word would be used?” Hoffman answered, “Yes, I’ve actually heard it used as a term of endearment.” A CU spokeswoman said President Hoffman is aware of the negative connotations associated with the word. But, the spokesperson said, because Hoffman is a medieval scholar, she is aware of the long history of the word. She said it was not always a negative term. (emphasis added)

You can see the relevant portion of the transcript by clicking here. Now Hoffman is etymologically correct — at least according to this site, “the word wasn’t always considered derogatory, even though it is today.” (Click here for more than you would ever want to know about this word.) And in further defense of Hoffman, here’s a statement released by a university spokeswoman:

There should be no doubt that President Hoffman knows the meaning of the word in question and its current usage. She was in an extremely adversarial deposition with attorneys who have brought federal litigation seeking monetary damages from the university. In an effort to not allow the attorney to dictate to her a definition of the word, she defined it herself as a swear word. She was then asked if she was aware of a non-negative definition. She replied from her scholar’s knowledge.

Unfortunately for Hoffman, this is one of those questions for which common sense suggests the obvious answer — no matter how adversarial the situation. Responding as she did makes her seem way too detached from the real world.