A University of Colorado faculty committee could find itself breaking new ground in academic fraud investigations with the unusual — perhaps unprecedented — job of determining a professor's ethnicity.

The 12 members of a research-misconduct board have been asked to investigate allegations against embattled professor Ward Churchill that could result in dismissal proceedings.

Various accusers say Churchill plagiarized work, fabricated pieces of history — and misrepresented himself as an American Indian to gain credibility as a scholar. Churchill denies all of the allegations.

The 14-year professor of ethnic studies has claimed one-sixteenth Indian blood but holds only an associate membership to a tribe that does not require proof of ancestry. His CU applications, curriculum vitae and numerous publications on American Indian issues identify him as an Indian, including a book titled "From a Native Son."

But how the committee would investigate his ethnicity is unclear, even daunting.

CU has a history of looking at "self-identification" as a reliable indicator of ethnicity, but some American Indian leaders say that policy allows white people to trade on a fabricated heritage. And genealogy research doesn't always trace all relationships, particularly extramarital blood lines.

One longtime critic says Churchill should submit a blood sample to the committee.

"Indian people have a very unique blood type," said Vernon Bellecourt, an executive committee member for the national American Indian Movement. "If he really wants to prove it, I would think he'd submit the DNA."

Bellecourt said authors are "more apt to get published if they're Indians."

"They're exploiting a great reservoir of good will toward Indian people worldwide," he said. "There are also a lot of self-hating whites who don't feel rooted here in this land so they want to identify with other cultures, and it's very romantic and mystical to say they're Indian."

David Lane, Churchill's attorney, said the research-misconduct committee would have to prove that Churchill isn't American Indian — and that he knew he wasn't — to have a case against him on the ethnicity issue.

"He is under no obligation to prove his ancestry," Lane said. "This is America, and they can have a committee to research anything they want, but I can't imagine that they are going to be firing Ward Churchill if they determine he is or is not a certain race."

Interim CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano on Thursday referred allegations against Churchill to the misconduct committee for further review, including the claim that Churchill used an Indian image to sell books.

"The evidence is sufficient to warrant referral of this question to the Committee on Research Misconduct for inquiry and, if appropriate, investigation to determine whether professor Churchill relies on his Indian identity in his scholarship and, if so, whether he has fabricated that identity," said a report written by DiStefano and two other officials.

After DiStefano's report came out, Churchill told The Associated Press he was surprised it raised the ethnicity issue. "I think it was extremely stupid. I don't think it's legal," he said Thursday.

Unusual task

The research-misconduct committee spokesman, professor Joseph Rosse, said he doesn't know of any precedent for determining ethnicity fraud.

"I've never heard of this issue raised in this context," he said.

Rosse didn't dismiss the idea of a DNA test, saying he has "no idea at this point" whether that's something the committee would pursue.

Roger Bowen, general secretary for the American Association of University Professors, also said he knew of no precedent and the idea of determining a professor's ethnicity is "extremely worrisome."

"Are we going to conduct DNA tests on every job applicant?" he said.

"I had a grandfather who up until I was 21 or 22 always claimed we were descended from American Indians," Bowen said. "On his death bed, I learned he was a Greek Jew."

Addressing Churchill's ancestry is a two-step process, Rosse said.

"The first issue is whether or not his claims to Indian ancestry had an actual effect on his research," he said. "If that turns out to be important, I presume the committee would go on to try to pursue the validity of the (American Indian) claim."

The committee could take as long as seven months to report back to officials, at which point the chancellor will determine whether to begin dismissal proceedings.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Elizabeth Mattern Clark at (303) 473-1351 or clarke@dailycamera.com.