Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Friday, July 10, 2020

Students Demand Pitt Eliminate Free Speech Protections

Student group coalition calls for firing of professors it deems "racist"

Activists are demanding that the University of Pittsburgh fire any employee deemed racist or discriminatory by students, a move that First Amendment advocates say amounts to the elimination of academic freedom.

Black Pitt, a coalition of black student groups, is demanding that the university fire any employee dubbed "racist" by a black-only student council and end employee speech immunity, a core principle of academic freedom and First Amendment protections for academics at public universities.

"Faculty and staff with one incident or complaint of racial bias, excessive force, or unlawful arrest/detainment should be terminated and banned from the University campus immediately if found at fault," the letter reads. "During the time of the investigation, the faculty/staff should be disclosed by name and banned from the University campus until its completion."

Discrimination and racial bias policies already exist on Pitt's campus, but as a public university, there are few restrictions the school can place on a professor's right to free speech. Katlyn Patton, spokeswoman for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, told the Washington Free Beacon that Pitt is bound by the First Amendment when disciplining professors for their commentary.

"As a public institution, the University of Pittsburgh is bound by the First Amendment in its decisions concerning when to discipline a professor," Patton said. "While these students are free to express their concerns and propose ideas, Pitt, like any public college or university, must consider the protections afforded to professors by the First Amendment and the principles of academic freedom in evaluating allegations of racial bias based on speech."

More

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when Christianity is dead. These idiot kids think they are good people. It would never occur to them that the "bad people" they get fired might be innocent, or maybe just made a mistake. There is NO forgiveness outside of Christ.

To another book- they have taken the Ring of Power and have convinced themselves that they can wield it against their perceived racist Sauron without it affecting them. They are too stupid to know that the power to fire people is going to corrupt their sous and turn them into evil less than human wraiths.

Anonymous said...

These moron indoctrinates need to be reeducated.

Anonymous said...

“Racist”...lol

Anonymous said...

Sense when do the inmates run the asylum?

Anonymous said...

A black-only student council is inherently racist. Pitt knows it.

Anonymous said...


Pitt's main building for decades is a very high rise reminiscent of a skyscraper. Pitt refers to it as the Cathedral of Learning. More objective observers often call it the Tower of Babel, or the Height of Ignorance. Anymore their version is far more accurate.

Pitt's campus has sprawled in recent decades and now borders the Hill District, a very tough ghetto area with all the urban dysfunctions.

The 'students' in question lack even a scintilla of information about Constitutional and academic freedoms. I'm quite confident they would withdraw from school if they ever said anything uncomplimentary to or about anyone else (that sentence is pure sarc).

Pitt has a number of satellite campuses elsewhere in PA; perhaps they could designate one of them as a new-born HBCU and not admit people of pallor as students there. Admission to Pitt-HBCU would include an automatic 4.0 GPA and a BS in 4 years, provided the scholar hadn't racked up any felony convictions.

Pitt Panthers - now toothless!

Anonymous said...

To all of the previous commenters. Black people are extremely good at knowing who is or isn't racist. If you aren't racist, you won't say or do racist things. Why would we allow white people to determine that for us? You all had 400 years and look how that turned out. You're still trying to convince naive minorities that Trump isn't a racist but we and the rest of the world know that to be a lie. What I hear is a bunch of folks who can't reconcile with their feelings that white people aren't superior. Save your Christianity for your private life. Most blacks are turning away from the religion Europeans taught to Africans as justification for their racism and slavery. The world is changing. One day, your privilege of being white will no longer exist. You are becoming the minority. Embrace others the way you will want to be treated.

Anonymous said...

Inmates running the asylum.

Anonymous said...

If colleges start firing professors based on the word of students who do not like what they say, can those same professors also sue the colleges for wrongful dismissal and if the colleges have to pay up will that not raise tuition costs making a higher education more elitist? Think people! Unless a professor is blatantly racist or sexist and abusive in their power over students STFU if you disagree with them! I once had a prof who stated to the entire class before returning papers that schools must not be teaching writing anymore because these were the sorriest POS he had ever read. One student was offended by his remark and I told her she wasn't in high school anymore and he didn't have to be polite. It reminded me of the harshness of teachers when I was in HS so I liked his brash opinions because it forced me to work harder to step things up. People need to stop being such babies and use criticism to improve themselves instead of being offended by EVERYTHING!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad my daughter declined to go to PITTSBURGH. We are paying more for the private school. But believe me. The peace of mind my wife and I will get. It's worth it.

Anonymous said...

Too many people are DEMANDING too many things, and unfortunately, they are getting too many of them.

Anonymous said...

Then the University of Pittsburg would no longer get any tax payer dollars and no Federal / tax payer grants.

Anonymous said...

"Black Pitt, a coalition of black student groups, is demanding that the university fire any employee dubbed "racist" by a black-only student council."

The world has really changed when students are in charge and demanding.
Wait until you get in the real world and are fired when you demand anything.
See how that works for ya snowflakes (regardless of race/sex).

United States of Amercia!

Anonymous said...

Inmates are running he asylum...

Anonymous said...

"Black people are extremely good at knowing who is or isn't racist. If you aren't racist, you won't say or do racist things."

And WHO determines what is racist or not? You? You are so goddamn smart that you are a good judge of what is racist and what is not?

According to the latest crap "white fragility" philosophy, being white is in itself racist. Is being a Republican racist? Is preferring classical music to rap music racist? Is preferring jazz to rap racist? If I fail to say good morning or I just don't like you, not because of the color of your skin, but because you are obviously yet another idiot millennial who read one book and thinks you have more wisdom than all the people who came before you, does that make me racist?

Hey- I'll go you one further. If all of us white people are so racist and evil, why not just round us up and put us in extermination camps? Seriously- it would be the compassionate thing to kill off all the evil people, right?

So if you're so sure you can be judge, jury and executioner- without fail, it is only cowardice that stays your hand, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

LMAO...your ignorance and racism is astounding! I will never be ashamed for my whiteness and many people like me. You can't win this like this, but you will never understand. You are correct...the world is changing and soon the grim reaper come a calling!...smh..mho