Grant Smith is an alumni of St. Thomas University, but you won’t find his diploma displayed on a wall. “The venue-denial maelstrom surrounding Dennis Dease did not end with his grudging invitation of Tutu,” Smith said in an interview with Minnesota Monitor, “Cris Toffolo is still a casualty for blowing the whistle when she had no further options for dealing with the matter internally.”

St. Thomas President Dennis Dease made the decision to deny Archbishop Desmond Tutu the opportunity to speak on campus, claiming Tutu’s remarks in a 2002 speech in Boston were “hurtful” to Jews and offensive to valued community members.

Smith returned his St. Thomas diploma to the University in protest over the decision, an action which Smith explained in detail. Dease has since reversed his decision, extended an invitation and an apology to Tutu, and returned Smith’s diploma to him with a letter explaining that all was well. Smith disagrees.

For Smith, and many others, Dr. Cris Toffolo’s demotion from her position as Director of the university’s Peace and Justice Studies program was in response to a purported dispute over Tutu’s invitation. Upon Dease’s apology, Tutu said he would accept the St. Thomas’ invitation on condition that Toffolo is reinstated to her former position. She hasn’t been.

Smith believes Toffolo did a service to the community, and suggests that “she joins the ranks of whistle-blowers, such as Coleen Rowley, Daniel Ellsberg and others who alerted America to wrongdoing at personal cost.”

Indeed, Rowley herself has spoken in support of Toffolo.

“From all appearances, this looks to be someone who aired some dirty laundry and was punished for blowing the whistle,” Rowley said. She argues that some organizations “will never recognize the good done by an airing of the truth,” and that “you don’t want to encourage secrecy and blind loyalty.”

University spokesman Doug Hennes indicated that if Toffolo would like to be reinstated as Director of the Peace and Justice Studies department, she is free to file a grievance. The grievance would be heard by a board comprised of her peers which would make a recommendation to President Dease, who would the make a final decision on the matter.

“It is my understanding that she has not filed a grievance because she is not sure the process would be fair,” said Hennes.

Toffolo did not reply to inquiries as to whether she intends to take such action.

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