TORONTO (CUP)

, women are the target.

and Western zoology professor, kney, have completed studies show that women have smaller han men.

ies allege that women’s brains verage 100 cubic centimetres an men’s. This is eight per cent ven after factoring in the over- ence in body size differences the sexes.

as argued the discrepancy could or the fact that more men go into tics and spatial sciences than

es are to be published this month gence, a scientific journal.

srace-ranking study, published laimed that Asians are superior s who are in turn superior to intelligence, lawfulness and straint.

gender-based studies have fresh debate at Western.

art, aspokesperson for the Aca- oalition for Equality (ACE) at said the studies are potentially S.

other studies concentrating on

gender or racial superiority have contrib- uted to the development of academic rac- ism, which in turn have adversely af- fected social programs and immigration policies in the U.S.

Those studies have been used against middle and working classes as well as against women and people of colour, Ewart said.

‘*[ They have] had a big effect,’’ he said. ‘*But Rushton is not an anomaly in that way. Universities have played a bad role.”’

Some academics, however, are staunchly defending Rushton’s right to publish his theories.

The Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship -- a group of 40 Ontario pro- fessors --opposes what it sees as a grow- ing move to ban ‘‘offensive’’ materials.

Dr. John Furedy, a University of Toronto psychology professor who is a director of the society, said everything should be open to study.

‘*The way to ignorance and totalitarian- ism is to forbid the raising of certain questions,’ he said.

‘*When you try to suppress the issue, you get a much more doctrinal and extreme version. The extreme conclusions brought on by suppression get preserved. For in-

stance, when you ban a book, it be comes more popu lar because you’ v¢ banned it.”’

For his part, Ewa said a no-holds barred approach to academic freedon can do more harni than good.

He cited Nazi Ger: many as a Situa- tion where aca- demic freedom in scientific research enabled Nazi lead- ers to justify their views on the basi of scientific evi- dence.

Dr. Neil Wiener, a York University psy chology professor, called studies likd Rushton’s and Ankney’s ‘‘bio-politics,” which he said have been going on for 2001) years. BO,

He said the issue is not freedom of speech but university accountability.

‘*Youcan’t prevent people from articu lating their beliefs,’’ Wiener said. *‘Th real issue is, ‘does anyone fund it?’”’

The onus is on individual universities t0 decide what kind of research will be con ducted at their institution, he noted.

‘The university of Western Ontario ha’ provided a very comfortable environmet in terms of allowing him [Rushton] take time off and do research. Nothing required the university to do so.”’

He dismissed the studies as ‘‘ridiculous and unoriginal.

“‘T like to say that he [Rushton] and bi friends boldly go where no man has gon! before,’’ Wiener said. :

‘In the 19th century they were trying “ relate brain size to body weight. Thi§ unfortunately showed that women hav4 larger brains than men, so that formu! was quickly abandoned.”’