Brandeis University: Professor Found Guilty of Harassment for Protected Speech
Brandeis University declared a professor guilty of racial harassment and placed a monitor in his classes after he criticized the use of the word "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Professor Donald Hindley, a nearly 50-year veteran of teaching, was neither granted a formal hearing by Brandeis nor provided with the substance of the accusations against him in writing before a verdict was reached. Determined not to be branded as a racial harasser simply for using a word in the process of explaining it, Hindley appealed the decision. Provost Marty Krauss pointedly ignored various responsibilities to consult with the Faculty Senate and Krauss' assertion of arbitrary administrative power angered the Faculty Senate, which has refused to peacefully surrender its bargained-for rights and led to a total meltdown of faculty-administration relations. Hindley has also alleged that he was targeted for his political views including his pro-Palestinian advocacy. The unwillingness of the administration to reach a resolution in this case has led FIRE to place Brandeis University on its Red Alert list as one of the worst of the worst abusers of liberty on campus.
"Brandeis University in Hard Times: No Better Time to Heal Free Speech Wounds," February 3, 2009: Brandeis University's administration is in quite a pickle trying to maintain the trust of faculty members and students as it takes action to survive the economic downturn. The most controversial action has been the announced closing of Brandeis' Rose Art Museum in order to sell off approximately $350 million of the museum's holdings. In these times, one would think that President Jehuda Reinharz would be doing everything he can to heal the wounds that have made it difficult for faculty members and students to trust his administration. Perhaps the most important such wound involves the case of Professor Donald Hindley, who after almost 50 years of teaching was subjected to a classroom monitor and a finding of guilt for racial harassment because he had critiqued the term "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Brandeis needs to put an end to more than a year's worth of sustained faculty and student outrage over the treatment of Professor Hindley.
"FIRE Exposes Unrepentant Abusers of Liberty in ‘U.S. News’ College Rankings Issue," FIRE Press Release, August 25, 2008: The 2009 edition of U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges issue, released today, includes a full-page advertisement from FIRE highlighting the five colleges and universities that have earned FIRE's Red Alert distinction for being the "worst of the worst" when it comes to liberty on campus. Students should think twice before choosing to attend Red Alert schools, which include Brandeis University, Colorado College, Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, and Valdosta State University.
"Brandeis University Tramples Free Speech and Academic Freedom," FIRE Press Release, January 23, 2008: Brandeis University declared a professor guilty of racial harassment and placed a monitor in his classes after he criticized the use of the word "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Professor Donald Hindley, a nearly 50-year veteran of teaching, has neither been granted a formal hearing by Brandeis nor provided with the substance of the accusations against him in writing. Hindley has turned to FIRE for help.
"FIRE Shines a Light on Brandeis University in 'Huffington Post' and Full-Page Ad," Robert Shibley, February 13, 2009: FIRE is applying Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis' maxim "sunlight is the best of disinfectants" to his namesake university in a big way today. First, an article by FIRE President Greg Lukianoff in TheHuffington Post discusses Brandeis' refusal to apologize for its treatment of tenured Professor Donald Hindley, who was found guilty by the university of "racial harassment" for using the term "wetbacks"—in the context of criticizing the term—in his class. FIRE also took its argument straight to Brandeis' students with a full-page advertisement in the Brandeis Hoot student newspaper reminding students of Justice Brandeis' commitment to free speech and encouraging them to demand that the administration reverse its shameful decision in Professor Hindley's case. FIRE will continue to pressure Brandeis until it takes steps to remove itself from FIRE's Red Alert list of the worst offenders against liberty on campus.
"FIRE Op-Ed: Brandeis Administration Must Demonstrate Integrity to Avoid Calamity," Brandon Stewart, February 10, 2009: With two new op-eds, FIRE staffers launched a renewed campaign against Brandeis University's leadership, which has been under heavy fire over the past few weeks for its mishandling of the Rose Art Museum controversy. In a powerful op-ed in today's edition of The Justice, Adam Kissel discusses the ongoing tempest at Brandeis regarding the future of the Rose Art Museum and what it reveals about the viability of President Jehuda Reinharz's administration at Brandeis. Adam explains that the current uproar on campus is a part of a larger crisis of leadership evidenced by the school's treatment of Professor Donald Hindley. To move forward and begin rebuilding its reputation, Brandeis should rescind its finding against Hindley. In a separate article on Minding the Campus, Will Creeley and Harvey Silverglate locate the common thread between Reinharz's handling of the Rose Art Museum crisis and Professor Hindley's mistreatment: Reinharz's arrogance and heavy-handed administration.
"Where is the Alumni Outrage Over the Brandeis Administration’s Shameful Behavior?," Brandon Stewart, August 20, 2008: The Brandeis University administration continues to maintain public silence about its unfair treatment of Donald Hindley, a beloved professor of nearly 50 years who had a monitor placed in his classroom after he critiqued the term "wetbacks" in class. President Jehuda Reinharz has never responded to FIRE's letters. Why have Brandeis's alumni chosen not to confront Reinharz and Provost Marty Krauss as the faculty and many students have done? While the faculty and the press (including national media and both student newspapers) have come to the defense of Hindley, where are notable trustees and alumni such as Mitch Albom, Sidney Blumenthal, Martin Peretz, Robert Zimmer, and Vartan Gregorian?
"FIRE Calls on Brandeis to Resolve Faculty Revolt," Adam Kissel, July 10, 2008: Given the unprecedented revolt of faculty and students at Brandeis University, FIRE has called on President Jehuda Reinharz to rescind the ill-conceived finding of guilt against Professor Donald Hindley in order to restore order and Brandeis University's good name. This revolt has involved multiple unanimous faculty resolutions against the administration, faculty reports demonstrating that Brandeis administrators violated Professor Donald Hindley's academic freedom and due process rights, the withdrawal of faculty support for the school's harassment policy, the suspension of hearing new faculty grievances, and withering public attention. The faculty is rightly concerned about the "chilling atmosphere concerning free speech" at Brandeis since Provost Marty Krauss placed a monitor in Hindley's classes and threatened him with termination after he criticized the term "wetbacks" in class. FIRE is asking the 160 recipients of copies of our letter to contact President Reinharz and urge him to end this sorry chapter of Brandeis's history.
