We are posting this March 21 letter from the executive committee of the University of Virginia AAUP chapter with the chapter’s permission.
James Ryan, UVa President
Ian Baucom, UVa Provost
Deans, UVa Schools
Michael Kennedy, Chair Faculty Senate
Amanda Flora, Chair General Faculty Council
Dear Colleagues,
The University of Virginia (UVa) Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is increasingly concerned about political interference and intrusions by outside groups into universities within the Commonwealth and across the nation. Specifically at UVa, such interference is manifest by a well-organized and ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation of faculty members who speak out in support of the Palestinian people or who criticize Israeli government policies. Tactics include floods of threatening e-mails messages, spurious FOIA requests, misleading press reports, false accusations of antisemitism, and threats of disciplinary action. Beyond harassment, this campaign directly threatens the academic freedom of all faculty, as it exerts a chilling effect on extramural speech, which according to UVa’s Faculty Handbook, is protected. These actions also threaten the safety of our community. The UVa Chapter of the AAUP strongly objects to this orchestrated and ongoing campaign of intimidation.
The AAUP’s statement entitled “Polarizing Times Demand Robust Academic Freedom,” explicitly rejects the definition of pro-Palestinian speech as inherently antisemitic and clearly states that “… college and university leaders have a … duty … to protect the academic freedom, free speech, and associational rights of faculty and students to speak on all topics of public or political interest without fear of intimidation, retaliation, or punishment.” Accordingly, we urge our University administration to issue a strong public statement that clearly and unequivocally reaffirms that faculty members’ extramural speech is protected, institutional policies on open expression will be upheld, and harassment will not be tolerated.
With regard to University responses to allegations of faculty misconduct, conflict of interest, or violations of ethical or professional norms, and as indicated in Section 3.2 of UVa’s Faculty Handbook, our University subscribes to the AAUP’s “Statement on Professional Ethics.” The applicable section is:
In the enforcement of ethical standards, the academic profession differs from those of law and medicine, whose associations act to ensure the integrity of members engaged in private practice. In the academic profession, the individual institution of higher learning provides this assurance and so should normally handle questions concerning propriety of conduct within its own framework by reference to a faculty group.”
The AAUP’s “Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities” asserts that, in a system of university shared governance, faculty have primacy in decisions regarding matters of “faculty status” including disciplinary actions. The AAUP’s statement entitled “Ensuring Academic Freedom in Politically Controversial Academic Personnel Decisions” elaborates on the central role that faculty should play in adjudicating “charges of professional misconduct … in the midst of political controversy.” Accordingly, any allegation of misconduct involving any faculty member who engaged in a student-organized class walkout (or any other “politically controversial cases involving” university faculty) should initially be adjudicated by a relevant elected “faculty group” such as the Faculty Senate Grievance Committee, Faculty Senate Policy Committee, or other faculty committee at the school or departmental level, and not by a dean or other administrator. If administrators intend to pursue individual cases involving alleged misconduct of this nature, we ask that the current procedure initiated by any dean be suspended and the matter be referred first to an appropriate faculty consultative group elected by or appointed by an elected faculty governance committee.
Finally, the threat of disciplinary action prior to a reasonable investigation or even a meeting with the faculty members involved is itself a form of intimidation that plays into the wider orchestrated campaign. Going forward, we strongly recommend that any alleged misconduct be thoroughly investigated by a committee of faculty before threats of possible disciplinary action are issued.
In the meantime, we will be consulting the AAUP national office as we pursue the necessary steps to protect our colleagues.
Sincerely,
Executive Committee, AAUP-UVa
Cc: Irene Mulvey, AAUP president Members, AAUP-UVa Chapter
