The Academic Freedom Alliance sent a letter to Texas Tech University protesting the suspension and investigation of education professor Jairo Funes-Flores. Like many others, Funez-Flores has been sharing her thoughts on events in Israel and Gaza on social media. Like many scholars, his views on Israel are controversial. In his case, expressing his personal political opinions on social media led to him being suspended, investigated, and threatened with termination by his state university employer.
The professor's social media posts were first collected by Texas Scorecard, a site specializing in conservative journalism. The site said the social media posts were “anti-Semitic” and “do not meet the university's high ethical standards for its staff.” Funes-Flores subsequently announced that the system's chancellor and university president have been suspended with pay pending an investigation. They condemned his post as “hateful, anti-Semitic and unacceptable.”
The university's actions are publicly reported here and here.
From the letter:
Professor Funez-Flores' social media posts
Expression of private political opinions is protected by the Constitution and prohibited
As such, it forms the basis of university discipline.The university explicitly
Using complaints about such social media posts as basis for fishing
Examining the professional conduct of professors on campus is simply a matter of
Although inconsistent with university policy and constitutional commitments,
This has a direct chilling effect on all aspiring faculty.
Engage in original expressive activities protected by the Constitution
Controversial topic.The announced suspension and investigation itself
This is a form of punishment, and the obvious cause of this punishment is that the teacher
Members engage in protected political expression, with some calling it “hate,
It is anti-Semitic and unacceptable. ”
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