Death penalty e-mails share professor rebuttals, raise questions

by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Reporter

An e-mail sent to some students and faculty Saturday stirred debate and confusion.

Dudley C. Sharp sent out a series of pro-death penalty e-mails to approximately 150 students and faculty members in response to Sister Helen Prejean’s visit to Appalachian State University Aug. 28.

Sister Helen Prejean is the author of the anti-death penalty book “Dead Man Walking.”

Sharp believes not enough time is given to pro-death penalty viewpoints, and hoped his e-mails would spark debate.

“All I’m trying to do is show people that there are two sides to every story,” Sharp said.  “All of my facts come from books that none of the professors tried to refute.”

According to the e-mails sent by Sharp, there are no racial issues with the death penalty.

Sharp goes on to say the cost of executions is less than the cost of keeping inmates alive, saying studies do not take into account the geriatric care costs of inmates.

Sharp sent the e-mails to department heads, The Appalachian staff, the Department of Government and Justice Studies, and other Appalachian organizations.

“I do this when I have time available,” Sharp said. “I was hoping that I could have sent the e-mails out before Sister Prejean’s visit, but I didn’t have time.”

Matthew Robinson, a government and justice studies professor who received the e-mails feels Sharp overstepped his boundaries.

“He assumes that he has a voice that needs to be heard,” Robinson said. “In society there is a lot of time given to pro-death penalty viewpoints. In my class, we are not in favor or against the death penalty. We look at studies to show whether it works or not and if it achieves what it sets out to do.”

Robinson said Sharp also sent e-mails last year, when the Department of Theatre was showing films and plays dealing with the death penalty.

“Professors are paid to be critical,” Robinson said. “We don’t favor or oppose things, we are critical to the punishment and tell the truth as we see it.” 

Controversy among professors is Sharp’s choice of forwarding responses to everyone in the e-mail chain, which they say is unprofessional.

“I didn’t give him permission to send out my responses to him,” Robinson said. “The reply was only intended for him.” 

“I was a little disappointed by the lack of professionalism in the e-mails,” Natalie C. Freeman, a criminal justice and criminology graduate student said.  “I think it was unethical and unprofessional for him to forward the e-mails to everyone.”

Sharp doesn’t feel he overstepped his boundaries because he said the e-mails are state property due to Appalachian being a state university.

“The professors only attacked me in their e-mails, none of them attempted to refute my claims,” Sharp said.

Professors said e-mails are unwanted.

“From what I’ve experienced, professors are upset that he sent these and don’t want anything to do with them,” Robinson said.

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