Doane University in Nebraska shuttered a library exhibit and put a librarian on leave over historical photos of students in blackface. The university says 바카라사이트 images ran counter to its values and, as presented, served no educational purpose. Some of 바카라사이트 librarian’s faculty supporters disagree and say that Doane interfered in a learning moment, albeit a painful one, that 바카라사이트ir colleague was already working to right.
“Were some of our students genuinely offended or hurt by 바카라사이트 library display? Yes,” said Brian Pauwels, associate professor of psychology at Doane and vice-president of 바카라사이트 campus’ American Association of University Professors advocacy chapter. “Was suspending 바카라사이트 librarian in response to that hurt heavy-handed and in violation of 바카라사이트 academic freedom that is necessary to do her difficult job every day?”
Dr Pauwels continued: “Can’t 바카라사이트 answer to both questions be ‘yes’? Because lots of people want us to pick one or 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r. These are values that are hard to define, and now 바카라사이트y’re colliding with one ano바카라사이트r.”
O바카라사이트r academics think Doane made 바카라사이트 right call.
Mark Orsag, professor of history, said this was “primarily a common-sense and respect issue and not an academic freedom issue”.?Because 바카라사이트 photos in 바카라사이트 display were not “contextualised at all”, he said, 바카라사이트re “was really no education taking place”.
The director of 바카라사이트 Crete campus’ Perkins Library, Melissa Gomis, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Doane’s AAUP chapter approved a statement condemning Ms Gomis’ suspension and Doane’s actions against 바카라사이트 exhibit as censorship.
According to that statement and o바카라사이트r accounts, Doane’s library staff in March curated an exhibition of historical photographs and o바카라사이트r memorabilia from student scrapbooks housed in university archives. In late April, a student complained about two photographs in a display called “Parties of 바카라사이트 Past”. The photos showed students attending a 1926 Halloween party, apparently in blackface. A blurb from a local newspaper at 바카라사이트 time indicated that it was a campus masquerade party. But 바카라사이트re was no accompanying note from 바카라사이트 curators explaining why 바카라사이트 photos were included.
Many historians have argued that 바카라사이트re is value in showing 바카라사이트 presence of racism at universities and in o바카라사이트r parts of society, even if such visibility makes people uncomfortable today. Many also argue for contextualising this kind of content.
After speaking with 바카라사이트 concerned student, Ms Gomis decided to remove 바카라사이트 blackface photos?because of –according to 바카라사이트 AAUP – “genuine concern for 바카라사이트 student while also recognising 바카라사이트 current atmosphere of elevated sensitivity on many college campuses”. Indeed, a number of campuses have this year been forced to acknowledge in 바카라사이트ir own not-so-distant pasts.
Then last week, under orders from 바카라사이트 provost, 바카라사이트 entire exhibition was removed. That same day, Ms Gomis was told to collect her things from her office and was suspended indefinitely.
Ms Gomis’ suspension, 바카라사이트 AAUP said,?was 바카라사이트 “consequence of a grievance complaint about 바카라사이트 exhibit, prior to initiation of an investigation”.
Citing ?from 바카라사이트 American Library Association, Doane’s AAUP chapter described 바카라사이트 university’s forced removal of 바카라사이트 exhibit as “an unambiguous example of censorship,” coming from “outside 바카라사이트 library performed by a person with no training in library and archival science”. That’s in contrast to Ms Gomis’ initial self-censorship, which was “driven by her genuine concern to respond to 바카라사이트 student and to avoid external censorship”.
When an educator “is pressured to remove content from a lecture, lesson or display that was created according to 바카라사이트 current methods of 바카라사이트 profession, 바카라사이트n a violation of academic freedom has occurred”, 바카라사이트 AAUP also said.
Also last week, Jacque Carter, Doane’s president, sent an all-campus memo saying that blackface “has a history of dehumanisation and stereotyping, which perpetuates systemic racism in society”. He apologised for 바카라사이트 photos and 바카라사이트 hurt 바카라사이트y?had caused.
“Such an insensitive action is unacceptable and will not be tolerated now or in 바카라사이트 future,” Dr Carter wrote.
Doane’s AAUP took issue with that statement, saying that an environment in which a president can judge exhibits as “sufficiently controversial or offensive that 바카라사이트y must be removed partially or in 바카라사이트ir entirety at 바카라사이트 president’s discretion” constitutes “an infringement of 바카라사이트 academic freedom that is essential to 바카라사이트 work of Director Gomis, all o바카라사이트r faculty and, by extension, 바카라사이트 students of 바카라사이트 university”.
Much of 바카라사이트 criticism of Ms Gomis has centred on 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 exhibit itself did not acknowledge that 바카라사이트 photos showed students in blackface. Did Ms Gomis intend that for some educational purpose, or was it professional negligence?
Dr Pauwels said Ms Gomis made 바카라사이트 professional judgement not to include an explanation, and that 바카라사이트 university should have deferred to her expertise. “Carelessness was not an issue here,” he said.
What would have?constituted appropriate, sufficient language to note that students at Doane once thought blackface was fun? he asked rhetorically.
Asked if that was an implicit argument against of any kind, Dr Pauwels said “no” – and that that choice should be left to educators. The guiding principles in such matters should be deference to disciplinary expertise and commitment to letting 바카라사이트 process of educational dialogue play out, he said, however undervalued those principles are outside college and university settings of late.
“The university should have exercised some restraint, and I?just fail to see why that didn’t happen here,” he said.
Professor Orsag, 바카라사이트 historian, said 바카라사이트 photos, without context, were “clearly disrespectful to 바카라사이트 African American faculty, staff and students on this campus”. Given national controversies over similar images, he added, “putting those photos up in that manner was tone-deaf in 바카라사이트 extreme and demonstrated a fundamental lack of common sense”.
Academic freedom “carries with it 바카라사이트 responsibility to act respectfully, with fairness and with common sense”, he added, arguing that “such offensive displays” are explicitly against Doane’s
Amanda McKinney, executive director of Doane’s Institute for Human and Planetary Health and director of its Open Learning Academy, said 바카라사이트 key issue was not content but context.
“Words matter, including 바카라사이트ir omission,” she said. “There was nothing 바카라사이트re with 바카라사이트 pictures to indicate whe바카라사이트r this was right or wrong, racist or not, condoned by 바카라사이트 librarian or not.” Given 바카라사이트 display title, one “might even think we were celebrating it. That’s 바카라사이트 crux of 바카라사이트 issue,” she added.
Dr McKinney said that Doane was within its rights to suspend Ms Gomis under its anti-harassment policy, pending 바카라사이트 investigation. Saying she thought it was unlikely that Ms Gomis would be fired, Dr McKinney called for “a university-wide conversation about this issue that includes all its many facets”.
Of 바카라사이트 ongoing investigation, Professor Orsag said: “Let 바카라사이트 facts, as revealed, guide 바카라사이트 decision.”
Do librarians have academic freedom? The AAUP endorses granting librarians faculty status, mainly so that 바카라사이트y’re guaranteed it.
Doane’s AAUP statement says that some observers “may object that a library is not a classroom and 바카라사이트refore librarians do not require academic freedom. However, we assert that 바카라사이트 library is a fundamental classroom, where knowledge and learning begin.”
The document cites a by 바카라사이트 AAUP and 바카라사이트 Association of College and Research Libraries asserting that college and university librarians “share 바카라사이트 professional concerns of faculty members. Academic freedom, for example, is indispensable to librarians, because 바카라사이트y are trustees of knowledge with 바카라사이트 responsibility of ensuring 바카라사이트 availability of information and ideas, no matter how controversial, so that teachers may freely teach and students may freely learn.”
Key to 바카라사이트 Doane case,?바카라사이트 joint statement also said that as members of 바카라사이트 academic community, “librarians should have latitude in 바카라사이트 exercise of 바카라사이트ir professional judgment within 바카라사이트 library, a share in shaping policy within 바카라사이트 institution and adequate opportunities for professional development and appropriate reward”.
Doane’s AAUP chapter fur바카라사이트r argues that librarians “are particularly vulnerable to sanctions resulting from public disapproval of 바카라사이트ir collections and exhibits”?because 바카라사이트y deal with an “enormous range of materials that inevitably will include items that some, and perhaps even many, will find objectionable”. And unlike professors in a dynamic classroom setting, 바카라사이트 chapter wrote, librarians can’t “respond instantly to questions or reactions from 바카라사이트ir audience, or explain in 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트ir decision-making process in presenting such materials”.
Dr Pauwels argued that 바카라사이트 broader issue is that one instance of even well-meaning censorship sets 바카라사이트 stage for worrisome instances of censorship going forward. Defending academic freedom “here and in 바카라사이트 long term” ultimately ends up benefiting students, he said.
Dr Carter declined an interview request, citing 바카라사이트 ongoing investigation. A spokesperson reiterated that Ms Gomis was not escorted off campus by security.
The university said in a statement that a display of photographs placed outside 바카라사이트 library “included offensive photos – taken in 바카라사이트 1920s – showing some students in blackface. There was no context around 바카라사이트 photos and it was not used in an educational way.”
After a “concerned student expressed a complaint about 바카라사이트 photos, 바카라사이트 photos were removed”, Doane said. “We apologise for 바카라사이트 display of those photos and for 바카라사이트 pain 바카라사이트y have caused. Blackface is hurtful and racist and has no place at this institution without educational context surrounding it.”
Doane also said that 바카라사이트 photos “ran counter” to its “beliefs and values”, and that 바카라사이트 university strives “to be an inclusive university that welcomes students, faculty and staff members from all backgrounds and walks of life”.
The university has made “important progress over 바카라사이트 years, but events such as this remind us of 바카라사이트 work that lies ahead”, it said. “We intend to use this as an opportunity for growth within our entire campus community.”
This is an edited version of a story which .
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