Republic University Trustees Hold Hearing on Gorra Grant; Uphold Decision

Hulm - Relenting to pressure from both conservative members of the Republic Parliament and a group of vocal faculty, Republic University's Board of Trustees held hearings on the controversial grant given to Velys Gorra, whose research on the role of the Amarr in shaping Minmatar society has come under fire. The trustees heard from nearly 100 speakers, including both supporters of Gorra and her detractors. After the three days of hearings, the Board of Trustees held a closed-door discussion and voted to uphold their decision to award the grant to Gorra.

Tempers ran high during the hearings, reaching a boiling point during Prof. Lillaka Uithmil's testimony. After being heckled by a number of spectators, she called Gorra an "Amarr toady" and accused her of trying to "instill subversive values" in her students. Other members of the opposition called Gorra's previous research "suspect" and claimed that the history professor had misrepresented facts in order to advance her own theories.

Prof. Gorra spoke last at the hearing, before the trustees retired to vote. She told the trustees that her research was more vital than ever. "As more immigrants come to the Republic from the Mandate and the Empire, it is becoming more important than ever to understand how the enslavement experience has shaped our people. If we reject the Amarr as purely evil, then we alienate those people we are welcoming back into the fold."