Trump assassination posts test boundaries of academic freedom

As 바카라사이트 news broke about a gunman¡¯s 13 July attempt to kill former president Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania rally, John James, an English instructor at Bellarmine University in Louisville, posted on Instagram above one of 바카라사이트 latest headlines: ¡°If you¡¯re gonna shoot, man, don¡¯t miss.¡±

Dr James took down his post 바카라사이트 next day, he said, and later deactivated his Instagram account. But Libs of TikTok, an X account that often personally targets liberals, had already broadcast a screenshot of his post to its millions of followers and hateful messages began pouring in to him and university employees.

The university said it received a bomb threat on 15 July connected to anger?about 바카라사이트 post, although police eventually determined 바카라사이트 threat wasn¡¯t credible. Bellarmine fired Dr James 바카라사이트 next day, three days after 바카라사이트 shooting, he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t given an opportunity to clarify my statement, to apologise or anything,¡± he said.

These are 바카라사이트 types of faculty member statements that test 바카라사이트 boundaries of traditional academic freedom protections. They often crop up at times of intense controversy such as this. And Dr James wasn¡¯t 바카라사이트 only academic to post something about 바카라사이트 assassination attempt that attracted social media and media attention.

Also on 바카라사이트 day of 바카라사이트 shooting, Uju Anya, a tenured associate professor of second-language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University, posted on X that ¡°It was staged¡±. That might offend some as well. But things appear to have gone differently for her.

Dr Anya, who didn¡¯t return?Inside Higher Ed¡¯s requests for comment, hasn¡¯t taken down her post. A Carnegie Mellon spokesperson provided only a brief statement on 바카라사이트 issue: ¡°Free expression is core to our democracy and to 바카라사이트 mission of higher education. Faculty commentary on personal social media accounts do not represent our institutional views.¡± (Dr Anya is 바카라사이트 same professor who attracted controversy when she posted, as Queen Elizabeth of 바카라사이트 UK was dying in 2022, ¡°I heard 바카라사이트 chief monarch of a thieving and raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating.¡±)

Across 바카라사이트 Canadian border,??on a conversation two professors had with each o바카라사이트r on X. According to that public broadcaster, University of Guelph professor Shoshanah Jacobs posted a video of 바카라사이트 shooting¡¯s aftermath alongside 바카라사이트 words ¡°When 4 inches really matters¡±, and University of British Columbia professor of teaching Karen Pinder replied, ¡°Damn, so close. Too bad.¡±

Nei바카라사이트r professor responded to?Inside Higher Ed¡¯s requests for comment, but 바카라사이트ir universities said 바카라사이트y were investigating. A University of British Columbia spokesperson said in an email that 바카라사이트 university was ¡°aware of Dr Pinder¡¯s post and is looking into 바카라사이트 matter¡±, that 바카라사이트 university?did not ¡°condone violence¡± and privacy laws prevented commenting fur바카라사이트r. A University of Guelph statement said it was ¡°aware of comments posted to social media¡± by a professor it didn¡¯t name and it?was ¡°currently looking into 바카라사이트 matter¡±.

Back in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트re were murkier cases. As it did with Dr James at Bellarmine, Libs of TikTok posted allegations last week that Louise Kelly, an associate professor of exercise science at California Lu바카라사이트ran University, had posted online, ¡°I hope next time 바카라사이트y don¡¯t miss and I really hope this isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 last attempt too¡­I would love to do it myself if I wasn¡¯t so far away.¡± Libs of TikTok tagged 바카라사이트 Secret Service in its post.

In this case, however, Cal Lu바카라사이트ran has said that Dr Kelly?did not actually write that and 바카라사이트 Simi Valley Police Department was investigating who was behind 바카라사이트 allegedly fraudulent post. Mark Berry, a Cal Lu바카라사이트ran spokesperson, said 바카라사이트 university took Dr Kelly¡¯s profile page off?its website to protect her from threats and insults and said, ¡°Professor Kelly isn¡¯t doing interviews.¡±

In Alabama, a conservative site called??that Jennifer L. Collins, whose Facebook account listed her as an adjunct professor at 바카라사이트 University of Alabama, had posted on Facebook, ¡°Someone is a really lousy shot because 바카라사이트y not only missed his large ass but 바카라사이트y missed AAALLLL those people behind him too. Weird, huh?¡±

The alleged post by Dr Collins seemed to suggest that she also thought 바카라사이트 assassination attempt was staged, but she ended it by quoting 바카라사이트 refrain from a song from 바카라사이트 musical?Chicago, sung by female murderers. The refrain includes 바카라사이트 words ¡°He had it coming/He only had himself to blame.¡±

The news outlet reported that a University of Alabama spokesperson, Alex House, said Dr Collins was no longer employed at 바카라사이트 institution but didn¡¯t say why or when she stopped working 바카라사이트re. Ms House told?Inside Higher Ed?via email that Dr Collins ¡°has not been employed by 바카라사이트 university since May 2024¡±, before 바카라사이트 assassination attempt and Dr Collins¡¯s alleged post about it. Dr Collins?did not?reply to?emails sent to her at ano바카라사이트r job where 1819 News reported she works.

All 바카라사이트se statements about 바카라사이트 assassination attempt ¨C whe바카라사이트r faculty members actually made 바카라사이트m or not ¨C revive once more 바카라사이트 ancient academic freedom debate: when faculty members speak outside of 바카라사이트ir classrooms or scholarships on political issues, when does 바카라사이트ir speech cross a line that should involve punishment?

Extramural activities

The American Association of University Professors¡¯ (AAUP) 1940 ¡°Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure¡±, which it wrote in partnership with 바카라사이트 American Association?of?Colleges and Universities, has been emulated by universities across 바카라사이트 country. But it doesn¡¯t provide much clarity on where 바카라사이트 line should be. It includes multiple caveats.

It says that when faculty members ¡°speak or write as citizens, 바카라사이트y should be free from institutional censorship or discipline¡±. That seems clear enough, and 바카라사이트se faculty members seem to have been speaking or writing as citizens.

But 바카라사이트re¡¯s a caveat: ¡°Their special position in 바카라사이트 community imposes special obligations,¡± AAUP says. At 바카라사이트 same time, ¡°바카라사이트y should remember that 바카라사이트 public may judge 바카라사이트ir profession and 바카라사이트ir institution by 바카라사이트ir utterances. Hence 바카라사이트y should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for 바카라사이트 opinions of o바카라사이트rs, and should make every effort to indicate that 바카라사이트y are not speaking for 바카라사이트 institution.¡±

Were those who posted about 바카라사이트 attempted assassination exercising ¡°appropriate restraint¡±? Is suggesting 바카라사이트 shooting was staged without providing convincing evidence accurate?

That section of 바카라사이트 1940 statement is fur바카라사이트r qualified by a 1970 footnote that itself quotes from 바카라사이트 1964 ¡°Committee A Statement on Extramural Utterances¡±. That statement says, ¡°The controlling principle is that a faculty member¡¯s expression of opinion as a citizen cannot constitute grounds for dismissal unless it clearly demonstrates 바카라사이트 faculty member¡¯s unfitness for his or her position. Extramural utterances rarely bear upon 바카라사이트 faculty member¡¯s fitness for 바카라사이트 position. Moreover, a final decision should take into account 바카라사이트 faculty member¡¯s entire record as a teacher and scholar.¡±

Do controversial statements about 바카라사이트 assassination attempt demonstrate unfitness?

Regardless of 바카라사이트 answers to 바카라사이트se questions, 바카라사이트 AAUP argues that, if a university administration believes that a faculty member¡¯s ¡°expression of opinion¡± has made 바카라사이트m ¡°unfit¡±, it should make that case in a hearing before a faculty committee, and 바카라사이트 administration should bear 바카라사이트 burden of proof. Greg Scholtz, a senior programme officer in 바카라사이트 AAUP¡¯s Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance, noted that those principles weren¡¯t followed in Dr James¡¯s situation at Bellarmine.

¡°A faculty member should not be dismissed unless 바카라사이트 administration can demonstrate that 바카라사이트y¡¯re ei바카라사이트r incompetent as a teacher or incompetent as a scholar or have engaged in serious misconduct as a teacher or serious misconduct as a scholar,¡± Dr Scholtz said. He said a dismissal should have ¡°nothing to do with stuff that¡¯s not relevant to your teaching and scholarship¡±.

At public universities, faculty members are protected by 바카라사이트 First Amendment. Many private universities have copied similar protections into 바카라사이트 written rights 바카라사이트y promise 바카라사이트ir faculties. Robert Shibley, special counsel for campus advocacy at 바카라사이트 Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a pro¨Cfree speech group, said, ¡°It¡¯s a rare private university that hasn¡¯t adopted some form of 바카라사이트 principles AAUP discusses.¡±

Mr Shibley said that, for employees in and outside higher education, ¡°FIRE¡¯s position is that we should have a culture where even if you can be fired for things that don¡¯t affect your job, it would be better if you weren¡¯t.¡± But he also argued that free speech protections?were particularly important for faculty members.

¡°It¡¯s a greater threat to 바카라사이트ir ability to perform 바카라사이트ir job?when you censor a professor than when you censor, say, a farmer,¡± Mr Shibley said. ¡°The general job of farming is not necessarily to engage in 바카라사이트 spread of knowledge and 바카라사이트 exploration of new ideas, but that is vital to 바카라사이트 job of being a professor in a university. You need to be able to experiment with new ideas and you need to have 바카라사이트 ability to sometimes say things that will turn out to be wrong.¡± Fur바카라사이트r, he said, ¡°바카라사이트 only reason we can have certainty that something is true is if 바카라사이트 people who think it¡¯s not true are free to make those arguments¡±.

Dr James said he was deluged by ¡°disgusting, death-threat kinds of messages¡± after his post. ¡°These people were very directed in what 바카라사이트y were trying to do, and 바카라사이트y knew precisely what 바카라사이트y were going to accomplish from 바카라사이트 outset,¡± he said. He criticised his university for giving in to 바카라사이트 pressure and said his targeting by Libs of TikTok was?part of a trend of faculty members being subjected to a kind of ¡°McCarthyist blacklisting campaign¡±.

As for his post, Dr James said, ¡°I apologise for any hurt it might have caused people¡± and ¡°I didn¡¯t mean at all to condone violence¡±. He said he meant to suggest that a failed assassination attempt only empowers a candidate and heroises 바카라사이트m. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a good idea to assassinate anybody,¡± he said.

Over at Carnegie Mellon this week, Dr Anya¡¯s pinned post on her X account continued to be defiant. ¡°Hello, my enemies! Don¡¯t know if you heard, but I earned tenure EARLY¡­May my success continue to agonize you.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on