Faculty Open Letter Library

SUNY Fredonia suspended Stephen Kershnar, a tenured professor of philosophy, in response to public outcry over comments he made on a philosophy podcast in which he discussed his scholarship on the ethics of sexual activity between adults and children.

Georgetown University suspended Ilya Shapiro, who had recently been hired as executive director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, after the Black Law Students Association demanded his termination for criticizing President Biden’s pledge to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court.

Hamline University failed to renew art history lecturer Erika Lopez-Prater’s contract after a Muslim student complained about Lopez-Prater’s presentation of artwork depicting the Prophet Muhammad during an art history class session on Islamic art.

Palm Beach Atlantic University fired English professor Samuel Joeckel because material in the racial justice unit of his composition course was deemed to be “indoctrinating students.” 

The American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society canceled a previously approved panel on biological sex at their upcoming annual meeting because “the ideas were advanced in such a way as to cause harm to members represented by the Trans and LGBTQI of the anthropological community as well as the community at large.”