OCC professors questioning district language
Deirdre Newman
OCC CAMPUS -- Some professors at the college are taking issue with
language the Coastline Community College District is proposing regarding
academic freedom, calling it vague and a threat to their constitutional
right to freedom of speech.
The topic is a touchy one in the wake of the administration’s handling
of political science professor Kenneth Hearlson after he was charged with
harassing Muslim students during one of his lectures.
Hearlson was not able to go back to the classroom until an independent
investigation was completed. He was eventually cleared of the bulk of the
charges, but he received a letter that he considered to be a reprimand
from the college president.
While the Coast Federation of Educators is still in the preliminary
stages of negotiation for its new contract, some professors contend the
district’s language is diluting their right to academic freedom.
“Instead of protecting our academic freedom to say what we think is
right about matters, it is requiring us not to say certain things,” said
Gayne Anacker, a philosophy professor.
The language in question concerns when faculty members should be
immune from actions affecting their employment status.
The union language states a professor should be protected for
“exercising freedom to examine or endorse unpopular or controversial
ideas appropriate to course content, discussions with students or
academic research or publication, nonetheless, the Faculty Member shall
attempt to be accurate, objective and show respect for the opinion of
others.”
The district suggested replacing the “opinion of others” with the
“right of others to hold and articulate differing opinions. Faculty shall
demonstrate respect for diverse cultures, religions and national
backgrounds.”
That kind of language makes Hearlson’s skin crawl.
“It’s the same opinion I felt about my particular case. It stifles
academic freedom and not only from my particular views as a conservative
Christian. It also stifles the liberal points of view,” Hearlson said.
Anacker called the district’s language a “disaster” because he
believes it’s too vague to be included in a legal contract.
“At what point are you failing to show sufficient respect for a
culture?” Anacker asked. “How much respect do I have to show to the
Nazis? To the Klu Klux Klan?”
Federation President Tina Bruning is also skeptical of the district’s
language.
“Part of what’s problematic is I don’t know what [their] language
means,” Bruning said. “In order to make it concrete, what kind of
guidelines are going to flow from this language?”
The union wants to get as much feedback as it can from its members, so
Bruning has sent out a flier with the union and the district’s language
for faculty at all three district colleges to respond.
And on March 1, the union will bring in faculty experts to testify
during negotiations on the language, Bruning said.
While Hearlson admits that trying to get a handle on academic freedom
is tantamount to walking a tightrope, he expressed optimism that some
kind of compromise can be achieved.
“I think we should work together in coming up with language that is
obviously fair to everyone but does not diminish or take away from the
freedom of people to speak up and have their own opinions in the
classroom and teach as they wish,” Hearlson said.
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