Miri Cypers, the groups regional director, said that while the A.D.L. Linfield University has agreed to pay just over $1 million to settle a whistleblower suit filed by tenured English professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, who accused the university of firing him. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. The Oregon Board of Rabbis called on Dr. Davis and Mr. Baca to resign. Last year, controversy broke out again after a viral column in JCU's student newspaper posited that the show represented "the deviant entertainment of misguided young people." The column prompted widespread debate about free speech and LGBTQ inclusivity on campus, as well as an administrative investigation into the author of the critical column. No. Although he is stepping down as chair, Baca will still serve on the board. Mr. Bacas open letter also took aim at Dr. Pollack-Pelzner, saying it is shameful that a faculty trustee has spread misinformation about the sexual misconduct cases. A student walks out of the Riley Center on the campus of Linfield University in McMinnville, Ore., Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Linfield University is affiliated with American Baptist Churches, USA. And because of the incompetent despotism of some of its leaders, Linfield is now a national story. I am honored to serve this great institution as Interim Chair. On Thursday, he recalled discussing the physical characteristics of Jews and Arabs and making the point that this portrayal of Shylock with the hook nose is just ludicrous.. No competent university leader could credibly believe that tenured faculty are at-will employees. It contains 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. The report finds that Linfield's administration violated the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the institution's own regulations, which incorporate AAUP . The university faces growing calls for the resignation of that president, Miles K. Davis, and the chairman of its board of trustees amid accusations that they made offensive comments about Jews and that Dr. Davis and three other board members had engaged in various forms of misconduct with female professors and students. Pollack-Pelzners interpretation of what Davis meant is a matter of opinion, not fact, and remains protected speech. Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan are reviving it. Kerry Carmody, the board's vice chair, was named . The university exists as a powerful reminder that threats to academic freedom often come not from ideologues but from administrators who fear criticism and have no business running a university. Its just devastating, Dr. Pollack-Pelzner said, adding that he had spoken publicly in his capacity as a faculty trustee who had received complaints from students and colleagues. Dave decided it was in Linfields best interest that he step down and allow new leaders to come to the forefront, Linfield spokesperson Scott Nelson said in a statement. Pollack-Pelzner said he doesnt know what his next steps will be, and that he isnt sure how he could persuade the administration to follow the guidelines in the handbook. The professor said he tried notifying his bosses about sexual harassment. Dr. Pollack-Pelzner also said that Dr. Davis had made a comment in 2018 about measuring the size of Jewish noses when the professor had mentioned that he was teaching The Merchant of Venice, which features Shylock, a character often criticized as an anti-Semitic stereotype. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. And as for whether this handbook had been approved by Linfields administration? Dr. Pollack-Pelzner, Dr. Linder, Dr. Tompkins, Dr. Friedman and two other professors who had received requests to speak to the group responded in an email that investigating employees who have reported harassment and retaliation, no matter how well-intentioned the investigation is itself an act of retaliation., As the controversy has dragged on, Mr. Baca, the board chairman, has tried to reassure students and others on campus who have protested the handling of the sexual misconduct accusations, writing in a letter to the Linfield community last July, I believe that you are safe, that there is justice and that the trustees are protecting you.. Research Reveals Thermal Instability of Solar Cells but Offers a Bright Path Forward - February 14, 2023. So eight criminal charges total, not all of them felonies. The firing of a tenured professor at Linfield University in Oregon without a hearing has sparked a controversy involving allegations of anti-Semitism, racism, and claims that sexual. Linfield University announced Tuesday that the chair of its Board of Trustees, David Baca, has stepped down from the leadership post after four years, including a tumultuous last several months at the private college in McMinnville. Davis had previously denied making the comment, and an investigation into him had concluded based on his denial that the comment could not be substantiated. Linfield stands against xenophobia, racism, antisemitism and sexual misconduct in all forms.. Feb . WiMSE Partners to Help Invisible Homeless - January 26, 2023. Pioneer Hall is the oldest building on the Linfield campus, constructed in 1881. Do these folks really think theyre going to win a social media war against Generation Z?, Trey PetersonWood, a recent Linfield graduate, said Monday that the more Linfield attempts to censor and silence advocates for accountability, the more damage they are causing to this great institution that has the potential to be a leader in the age of what oppressors call cancel culture, but in reality, its the age of accountability.. But he pushed back hard on the allegations surfaced recently by Pollack-Pelzner. Discover who you're meant to be. Linfields faculty handbook requires a lengthy process, including two formal hearings, before a professor with tenure can be fired procedures that have not been followed in this case. Emphatically yes. The local ADL representative did not respond to a call for comment on Friday. MSE News. (JTA) Criticism is mounting over the firing of a Jewish professor who accused his Oregon universitys leadership of making antisemitic comments, with the local branch of the Anti-Defamation League joining calls for the president of the school to resign. As described in a federal lawsuit, Linfield board chair David Baca told trustees in June 2019 that veteran trustee David Jubb was resigning "due to health concerns,'' when he actually was facing sexual abuse allegations. Linfield has pushed back on this criticism, saying it investigated the most recent complaints in question and no university policies were found to have been violated. No one else on the 33-member Linfield board faces an abuse complaint by a student, the boards executive committee said in a statement, also released last week. But in an interview with The Chronicle, Davis confirmed that he had indeed made the comment about Jewish and Arab noses, which he said had been informed by the time hed spent in the Middle East. College faculty overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in Baca on May 26, finding he failed to protect students after receiving a complaint in 2018 from a graduate who accused Jubb of sexually abusing her and two of her friends the prior year. Check out our library of resources to get started on your First Amendment journey! Jubb has pleaded not guilty to the charges. You are now subscribed to FIRE Updates. Zestimate Home Value: $439,900. said Dr. Davis had contacted it last month with concerns about racial bias. Linfield University canceled faculty Listservs over the weekend, sparking faculty cries of censorship. How Oregon researchers are testing 3D printing to reconstruct bone. This shouldnt be hard to understand. But rarely have the three collided at the highest levels of leadership, as they have at Linfield University, a small, historically Baptist college in Oregons wine country, which celebrated the appointment of its first Black president in 2018. In addition, the schools president, Miles K. Davis, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that he had in fact made a comment about the size of Jewish noses to Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, the professor who was fired this week. As the controversy has dragged on, Mr. Baca, the board chairman, has tried to reassure students and others on campus who have protested the handling of the sexual misconduct accusations, writing. It could hardly be clearer. He said racial bias might be a factor in the accusations. Sign up to get important news and culture from around the Northwest, delivered to your inbox six days a week. Davis denied making this comment before he admitted making it. Richard Belzer was a Jewish comedian. Israeli Orthodox Jew raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of settler riot, Wikipedias Supreme Court tackles alleged conspiracy to distort articles on Holocaust, This Purim, a space for queer Jews to celebrate their identities and dance the night away, Avi Maoz, Israeli politician and proud homophobe, resigns from deputy minister role, As Israel reels from violent attack on Palestinians, settler leadership remains unapologetic. According to the summary of the independent investigation of that report, which was provided to OPB, Davis had approached the faculty member from behind, and rubbed his hands up and down the professors arms while saying he looked forward to a scheduled meeting. That is our challenge and our charge.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Linfield is inventing policies on the fly to justify its retaliation against a tenured faculty member. Dr. Vivian Ann (Johnson) Bull of Madison, New Jersey, a former college president and professor, and a recognized authority on the Middle East economic issues, died Aug. 12. Last month, the faculty of arts and sciences took a vote of no confidence in Dr. Davis and Mr. Baca and urged them to resign in a resolution that condemned intolerance, discrimination and retaliation. Kerry Carmody, the boards vice chair, was named interim chair, effective Oct.1. In an effort to squelch criticism, the colleges administrators caught the attention of major defenders of academic freedom, as well as the Anti-Defamation League. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Davis stated that none of the allegations in Pollack-Pelzners tweets are recent and that they were all initially raised nearly a year ago. reporting from Linfields student newspaper The Linfield Review. The AAUP released the report of an investigating committee on the dismissal of Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a tenured English professor and endowed chair in Shakespeare studies at Linfield University in Oregon. Jubb has pleaded not guilty to sex abuse charges. In another account, a faculty member accused Linfield President Davis of misconduct. Davis is Linfields first Black president, and the report said that since 1970, no Black people have been elected as faculty trustee or faculty executive chair. Tenure and contracts are not Calvinball. Presented by FIRE and College Pulse, the 2022 College Free Speech Rankings is the largest survey of campus free expression ever performed. The only major offered is Nursing. Davis has denied the allegations, and the university has supported him, even in the face of a vote by the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences calling on him to resign. Until then, the self-inflicted damage to Linfields reputation will continue to flow. ( JTA) Linfield University, a small school in Oregon, has fired a Jewish professor who accused the university president of making antisemitic remarks. The handbook was last updated in January of this year, according to the Chronicle. The fact that Linfield violated its own policies is so clear that President Davis can only assert that the handbook, which was revised as recently as 2020 and is almost certainly contractually binding, is woefully out of date. As more than one reporter has observed, the employee handbook, which Davis asserts is a better guide, refers readers to the very appendix in which the procedures Linfield failed to follow are set forth. 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