Brandeis U. stands firm on prof dismissal

Waltham, Mass. - In spite of widespread condemnation from faculty, the media, and the public, Brandeis University remains unrepentant about its mistreatment of Professor Donald Hindley, and is now on the Foundation for Individual Rights' Red Alert list.

Brandeis declared Professor Hindley, a nearly 50-year veteran of teaching, guilty of racial harassment and placed a monitor in his classes after he criticized the use of the word "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Hindley was neither granted a formal hearing by Brandeis nor provided with the substance of the accusations against him in writing.

Brandeis's faculty reacted to Hindley's mistreatment with outrage, and Brandeis's actions were roundly condemned by FIRE, the media, and the general public. Brandeis then attempted to sweep the matter under the rug by informing Hindley that it "considers this matter closed," despite the complete lack of due process Hindley was afforded.

For more on this article, go to FIRE's Website.

The First Amendment returns to the Bay area

SFSU settles free-speech suit with College Republicans, FIRE

SAN FRANCISCO — On Monday, March 3, San Francisco State University settled a lawsuit challenging its speech codes by agreeing to modify several unconstitutional policies to make them consistent with the First Amendment. The settlement also requires SFSU to pay damages to members of the university's College Republicans as well as to pay the College Republicans' attorney fees.

The lawsuit—part of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's Speech Codes Litigation Project—was filed in July 2007 by attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund.

To read more, go to FIRE's Website.