University of Wisconsin Law Professor Leonard Kaplan has faced accusations of making derogatory remarks about the Hmong community in his class, and now he could face questions about his position as a tenured professor. UW Political Science Professor Donald Downs said since Kaplan is tenured, he is able to take more risks with his lectures than when he served as an assistant professor. Downs said professors spend five or six years as assistant professors, then another five or six more as assistant professors with tenure before moving into a full professor position after being judged on scholarship, publication and research. Professors who continue through their profession successfully, Downs added, get more protection by using their intellectual honesty. But he also said it is valuable to have professors who are not afraid to say what they think. "You can't be fired if you're untenured unless there is just cause, but you can be denied tenure," Downs said. "We want people to take intellectual risk — we don't all want to be on the same page all the time." Law student Nam Dao — who is Vietnamese and was present the class when the incident occurred — said the professor's words, though "insensitive" or "in bad taste," were not meant to be offensive. "Those are all hearsay and secondary sources — of course they're going to seem inflammatory on paper," Dao said. "His goal was not to be racist; he definitely should not be fired — this is definitely within the realm of academic freedom." The lecture in question also discussed cultural values in the Jewish and Muslim community, and Dam said Kaplan did not single out Hmong people. Dam added Kaplan's teaching style is unique because of its edginess. "I was definitely a bit uncomfortable, but that's the type of professor he is," Dam said. "He keeps you on your toes — that's his teaching style." Downs added professors are allowed to push the envelope and avoid "watering down education" so long as they aim not to offend students. "Leonard's claim was that he certainly wasn't doing it directly," Downs said. When contacted by The Badger Herald, Kaplan issued a statement that he will be providing further information sometime this week. "Until then, I have nothing further to say," Kaplan said in the statement.