State Sen. demands UNL fire prof who 'berated' conservatives
A state senator is calling on the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to fire one of its professors who verbally “berated and intimidated” a conservative student on campus.
As Campus Reform reported previously, Professor Amanda Gailey and a few of her colleagues protested a Turning Point USA tabling event on campus, chanting things such as “f*ck Charlie Kirk” and “TPUSA Nazis.”
[RELATED: Prof allegedly punches conservative student on campus]
While one of the protesters in attendance, graduate teaching assistant Courtney Lawton, has already been reassigned to non-teaching duties, Gailey remains employed by the public institution.
Now, Republican State Sen. Steve Erdman is calling for Gailey’s removal, saying she should be “fired immediately” for her “immoral, unprofessional, and unacceptable” behavior.
In a Friday op-ed, Erdman references statements made by University Regent Hal Daub, who noted that Gailey’s protest “was a premeditated and organized effort to intimidate and shut down Kaitlyn Mullen,” president of the school’s Turning Point USA chapter.
“According to Daub, this is not a free speech issue; it is a conduct issue, and I agree. Unless Amanda Gailey is fired, a double standard will exist at the University of Nebraska between students and staff, and liberal and conservatives,” Erdman writes, citing the American Association of University Professors’ Statement on Professional Ethics, which requires faculty to “avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students.”
[RELATED: Conservative profs ‘blown off’ by AAUP]
Erdman goes on to recount a personal encounter he had recently with the father of a UNL student who “called her father and asked him what she should do if she ever got one of these professors” as an instructor.
“The conduct of these two individuals has had a debilitating effect on the student body at UNL,” Erdman declares. “These conservative students no longer feel protected by the university.”
The senator then quotes University Chancellor Ronnie Green, who addressed this year’s New Student Convocation by stating that “we take action when we observe someone or something being treated unfairly or in a demeaning manner.”
“It’s our core belief as a university here at the University of Nebraska. It’s non-negotiable. It’s who we are,” Green reportedly went on to say, to which Erdman countered that “these core values are non-negotiable and apply to everyone at the University of Nebraska, except Professor Amanda Gailey.”
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“American universities never seem to mind it when conservative students get picked on by extremist liberal professors, but as soon as someone spots a banana peel hanging from a tree limb at Ole Miss, all Greek life suddenly comes to a screeching halt,” Erdman remarks, reiterating his expectation that the university “terminate the employment of Amanda Gailey and Courtney Lawton immediately.”
[RELATED: Greek Life retreat cancelled after banana peel found in tree]
“The bottom line is that we can no longer tolerate this kind of extremist behavior from our esteemed faculty at the University of Nebraska,” Erdman concludes. “To the contrary, the University of Nebraska must become a place which welcomes the free flow of ideas from both liberals and conservatives. Tolerance is a value which must protect students, staff, and faculty on both sides of the political aisle.”
Campus Reform reached out to university for a comment on Erdman’s remarks, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AGockowski
