Over 40 people affiliated with Wisconsin universities and colleges have signed an online petition titled Support Bill Ayers,"" showing their support for the controversial professor's contributions to education.
Ayers, a professor of education and senior university scholar of 20 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was accused of participating in acts of terrorism during his time as a Vietnam protester in the Weather Underground, a radical leftist organization.
The petition is meant to show support for Ayers' contribution to academia, not his alleged terrorist activities, according to petition signer Matthew Knoester, doctoral student in UW-Madison' Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
""The association is about education and that's it - it's not about the Weather Underground or any of the things Bill Ayers did in the 1960s and early 1970s - that assertion is very misleading,"" Knoester said.
As of press time, the ""Support Bill Ayers"" petition had received 3,247 total endorsements.
The statement encourages educators and students to sign the petition to ""promote critical inquiry, dialogue and debate"" and speak out against the ""character assassination"" of Ayers.
""When you see something that just is wrong, you need to stand up and say so, and in this particular case I did so by signing the statement,"" said Julie Mead, a UW-Madison education professor.
UW-Madison professors and students, as well as academic community members nationwide, are signing the petition to promote ""independent thinking,"" according to the statement.
""I saw this petition as a group of people who all respect Bill Ayers' work as an educational researcher and theorist and teacher, and somebody who has really contributed a lot to the field of education,"" Knoester said.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has brought up Ayers and his controversial past on the campaign trail, and his campaign has tried to show a connection between Ayers and Obama.
""Bill Ayers has a history of questionable acts of character. Around September 11 he said he had wished he had done more acts of terror against Americans,"" said Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Kukowski said although she does not support the petition, it is important for both sides of the issue to voice their opinions about Ayers.
""The point is to let the American people make up their own minds and own decisions about the issue,"" Kukowski said.
