Debate on academic free speech continues in midst of Brandeis controversy
Jan 27th, 2008 by Rob
Another chapter unfolded this week in the debate on what college professors should be permitted say to students, as a Brandeis University professor challenged the university’s decision to discipline him for making a reference to a derogatory term.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education issued a statement Wednesday calling for increased media attention to the case, which centers on Professor Donald Hindley’s use of the term “wetback” during a session of his Latin American political science course in October. Other bloggers and media observers have taken notice, as well.
Hindley claims he said the word not in a pejorative sense but rather in an effort to explain how it is used by opponents of illegal immigration. After several students complained about Hindley’s remark, school administrators sent the professor an official letter of reproach that would be entered into his employee file and forwarded to Brandeis’ provost, dean and political science department chair.
Provost Marty Wyngaarden Krauss responded by placing a faculty monitor in Hindley’s classroom “to ensure that [Hindley would] not engage in further violations of the Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy,” and ordered that the professor attend anti-discrimination training – which he refused. Hindley says the university then declined to provide documentation of the complaints or the exact nature of what he was alleged to have said. Brandeis administrators have declined media requests for comment, saying only that “the university now considers this matter closed.”
The case recalls a similar incident discussed in a previous post, in which a DePaul instructor was suspended for his involvement in an argument with students about Middle East politics. In considering these cases, universities struggle to determine a “line” between academic discourse and discriminatory speech that causes some students to feel unwelcome. While the First Amendment has generally been embraced on college campuses, professors – in their capacity as mentors and representatives of the college – must be held to a higher standard. But where should this line be drawn?
