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FIRE wrote today to New College of Florida after trustee Christopher Rufo
FIRE
@TheFIREorg
FIRE wrote today to New College of Florida after trustee Christopher Rufo bragged on Twitter this week that a visiting history professor’s contract wouldn’t be renewed due to his “left-wing” teaching, views, and criticism of university leadership.
That’s unconstitutional.
2/ FIRE is working to learn more about why Erik Wallenberg was dismissed. But even if it was for a lawful reason, a trustee publicly stating that faculty are losing their jobs for exercising their First Amendment rights will itself chill campus speech.
3/ Public colleges can decline to renew a contract for a good reason, a poor reason, or no reason at all — but they may not do so for a retaliatory reason. But that’s exactly what Rufo suggests New College has done.
4/ With New College leaders promising to oust faculty with dissenting views, professors will reasonably steer clear of controversial topics, or speaking truth to power, if their livelihoods are on the line.
That’s why the Constitution protects faculty expression.
5/ FIRE told New College today that they must immediately take steps to meet their binding legal obligations to respect faculty’s expressive rights, publicly reaffirming its commitment to free speech and academic freedom.
thefire.org
New College of Florida axes professor who criticized college, purportedly over his ‘leftist’ views
@TheFIREorg
FIRE wrote today to New College of Florida after trustee Christopher Rufo bragged on Twitter this week that a visiting history professor’s contract wouldn’t be renewed due to his “left-wing” teaching, views, and criticism of university leadership.
That’s unconstitutional.
2/ FIRE is working to learn more about why Erik Wallenberg was dismissed. But even if it was for a lawful reason, a trustee publicly stating that faculty are losing their jobs for exercising their First Amendment rights will itself chill campus speech.
3/ Public colleges can decline to renew a contract for a good reason, a poor reason, or no reason at all — but they may not do so for a retaliatory reason. But that’s exactly what Rufo suggests New College has done.
4/ With New College leaders promising to oust faculty with dissenting views, professors will reasonably steer clear of controversial topics, or speaking truth to power, if their livelihoods are on the line.
That’s why the Constitution protects faculty expression.
5/ FIRE told New College today that they must immediately take steps to meet their binding legal obligations to respect faculty’s expressive rights, publicly reaffirming its commitment to free speech and academic freedom.
thefire.org
New College of Florida axes professor who criticized college, purportedly over his ‘leftist’ views
Link to tweet