The University of Colorado regents are launching a review of the writings and speeches of professor Ward Churchill to determine if there are grounds to fire him.

Churchill is the ethnic studies professor who wrote an essay after the September Eleventh attacks that compared the victims to Nazis organizing the extermination of the Jews. He has threatened to sue the school if it fires him over the controversy.

The regents held an emergency meeting Thursday in Aurora to discuss the controversy. They announced their decision after a closed-door session.

Several of Churchill's supporter showed up -- and school officials say a student was arrested after yelling at the regents for holding the private meeting. The man was escorted out after shouting -- quote -- "This is McCarthyism at its best."

The controversy erupted when students at a New York college questioned an appearance by Churchill -- which was scheduled for Thursday. The appearance was canceled after Churchill and school officials received death threats.

Churchill resigned this week as head of the ethnic studies department. Governor Owens has called on C.U. to fire Churchill.