U. Montana to Faculty – Accept Sexual Harassment Policy Training or be Reported to the Feds
As Professor Glenn Reynolds might say – They told me if I voted Republican the government would use force to control free speech on campus and they were right!
The FIRE reports.
Feds Approve University of Montana Sexual Harassment Policy That Threatens Speech; Faculty Who Refuse Training to Be Reported to Federal Government
WASHINGTON, October 1, 2013—The University of Montana’s (UM’s) new sexual harassment policy threatens the First Amendment rights of students and faculty. Drafted in consultation with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), the policy was approved by the agencies last week. Faculty members are also alarmed that a list of faculty who refuse to attend the university’s trainings on the new policy will be reported to the federal government.
“Not only has the federal government approved an unconstitutional speech code, it has demanded a list of the names of faculty members who don’t attend a training session about it,” said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. “Worse still, students and faculty may face discipline even if they are cleared of harassment and discrimination charges. Couple these flaws with broad, vague definitions, and the result is that UM has vast discretion to silence students and faculty members, to the detriment of fairness, clarity, and free speech.”
The federally approved policy empowers UM to “take appropriate action”—apparently including discipline—against a student or faculty member “to prevent the creation of a hostile environment,” even after a university investigation has failed to find the student or faculty member responsible for “discrimination or harassment that creates a hostile environment.” This means that even if UM believes a student or faculty member’s expression is protected by law, it may still prevent that person from speaking.
Making things worse, the names of faculty who do not attend mandatory training sessions regarding this constitutionally suspect policy will be reported to the Department of Justice. The Missoulian newspaper reported that faculty members have sent a letter to UM President Royce Engstrom expressing alarm about this requirement, and that Faculty Senate Chairwoman Liz Putnam believes the concerns are shared throughout the faculty.
Feds Approve University of Montana Sexual Harassment Policy That Threatens Speech; Faculty Who Refuse Training to Be Reported to Federal Government (The FIRE)
Comments
Lets revisit yesteryear when the left really worried about free speech, free association, and privacy. “I have here in my hand a list of [faculty] — a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of [Education] as being members of [those who believe the Constitution is designed to LIMIT the government] and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy [and influencing young minds at the University of Montana].”
They want a list of names of those that want to practice their Constitutionally guaranteed rights?
If this were the right, they would be screaming “McCarthyism!!”
Morons.
Based on so many reports like this, for the last three years I’ve been counseling high school students to avoid college and learn a trade that calls to their sense of accomplishment, their dreams and needs. The world will always need plumbers, electricians, and welders…and those skills can always be applied to the arts. Three years ago many would scoff; now they’re listening.
Excellent advice, unfortunately. There are plenty of young people who are being sold into debt (student loans) in exchange for what is going to be a useless college degree. In the process they have to put up with a lot of nonsense, and the young men in particular run the small but real risk of being labeled a harasser.
I’m a college professor myself and love the better parts of academic life, but given what’s happened to the job market one is foolish to pick up $100K debt in exchange for a degree in gender studies, or sports broadcasting, or ‘multidisciplinary studies’. Learn a skill, get a trade, make money, and read the great books on your own time. It can work.