Oberlin just fired Joy Karega

Parents Forum
1

For those following the drama of the professor who posted anti-Semitic slurs on social media:

Here is the letter to parents:

The Oberlin College Board of Trustees, after extensive consideration and a comprehensive review of recommendations from multiple faculty committees and Oberlin President Marvin Krislov, has voted to dismiss Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition Joy D. Karega for failing to meet the academic standards that Oberlin requires of its faculty and failing to demonstrate intellectual honesty.

The dismissal is effective Tuesday, November 15, 2016.

As a Board, we agree with President Krislov and every faculty committee reviewing this matter that the central issues are Dr. Karega’s professional integrity and fitness. We affirm Oberlin’s historic and ongoing commitment to academic freedom.

During this process, which began with Dr. Karega’s posting of anti-Semitic writings on social media, Dr. Karega received numerous procedural protections: she was represented by counsel; she presented witness testimony, documents, and statements to support her position; and she had the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses testifying against her.

The faculty review process examined whether Dr. Karega had violated the fundamental responsibilities of Oberlin faculty members – namely, adherence to the “Statement of Professional Ethics” of the American Association of University Professors, which requires faculty members to “accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending and transmitting knowledge” and to “practice intellectual honesty.”

Contrary to this obligation, Dr. Karega attacked her colleagues when they challenged inconsistencies in her description of the connection between her postings and her scholarship. She disclaimed all responsibility for her misconduct. And she continues to blame Oberlin and its faculty committees for undertaking a shared governance review process.

For these reasons, the faculty review committees and President Krislov agreed on the seriousness of Dr. Karega’s misconduct. Indeed, the majority of the General Faculty Council, the executive body of Oberlin’s faculty, concluded that Dr. Karega’s postings could not be justified as part of her scholarship and had “irreparably impaired (her) ability to perform her duties as a scholar, a teacher, and a member of the community.”

In the face of Dr. Karega’s repeated refusal to acknowledge and remedy her misconduct, her continued presence undermines the mission and values of Oberlin’s academic community. Thus, any sanction short of dismissal is insufficient and the Board of Trustees is compelled to take this most serious action.

2

Long overdue.

3

I agree, @Hanna. I’m not “PC,” but this was a matter of inferior scholarship and intellectual dishonesty. Plus, my son, who was interested in taking a rhetoric course, decided not to until she was out of that department.

4

Not surprised considering her posts and her reactions to being challenged on her inconsistencies.

President Krislov and the relevant committees likely took the time they did to ensure all procedures were followed(at least we hope!) so that she can’t later challenge her firing on procedural/lack of due process grounds.

Incidentally, there was exceedingly little support even within the most radical students/faculty circles judging by what I’ve gathered from the alum forums and friends who still work/frequent the campus.

5

Good riddance.

6

As a mater of curiosity, what are her academic credentials? I can’t find any information on that.

7

@cobrat Dr. Karega was one of the profs for whom the Africana Community demanded guaranteed tenure in their 14-page missive last year. That may not be an indication of widespread support but we will see how Oberlin students react in the days ahead. I applaud the Board of Trustees for their decisive action.

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@Massmomm – I’m “PC” and I think it was a good decision. Being PC doesn’t mean you tolerate intellectual frauds or hate-mongers

9

@Consolation Can’t find a CV online, but she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Louisville in 2014.

10

According to friends who are on the faculty, she has very little support among them. As for the students, while there will be some protests, it’s not likely be to the same degree it would have been when I attended.

Oberlin student culture has gotten much more conservative(moving more to the mainstream) compared to when I attended in the mid-late '90s. Since the early '00s when some younger alum friends graduated, there was no longer the idea that even being Green party was “too right wing/mainstream” for many classmates as it was when I attended and earlier.

When I first met them, I was floored at how they and alums from their graduating and later classes had no compunctions openly identifying themselves as Democrats. It would have been something the wise would keep to oneself much like if one was GOP or otherwise conservative back when I attended or moreso with earlier graduating classes.

11

Academia should not tolerate antisemitism.

12

No one should. And yet…

13

@katliamom , and this is what I meant by political correctness. It is now considered “correct moral thinking” on some campuses to demonize Jews because of Israel’s controversial acts. People who support Israel are silenced.

The phrase “political correctness” was coined by Stalin, which is reason enough to question it. It does not mean treating others as equals, or considering all points of view, but that there is only one right way to view something. That is scary.

14

Oberlin is a private university, so it can do this without much difficulty. But my antennae always go up when I see somebody being punished because of the content of speech. The letter makes some (to me, lame) attempts to suggest that this is not what is happening here, but it is.

Bottom line: Oberlin compromised the principle of academic freedom because the speech in question was really, really offensive. People approving of this action should recall this when another university cans somebody for speech that you agree with.

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@cobrat

If you were at Oberlin in the mid-to-late '90s, there is a chance our paths crossed: UW Concert Choir performed at Oberlin – i’m sure you guys were impressed (haha) – back in, oh, the winter of '96-'97 or '97-'98. We sang in a nice-sized concert hall.

Ours was a brief stay, but the campus was nice enough to remember fondly.

16

@Hunt, I think the bigger issue in this case is the woman’s intellectual dishonesty, not her offense. She’s simply spreading lies.

17

Lets discuss for a second, the “principles of academic freedom”. Academic freedom, as we know it in the US, is based on the “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure”, jointly authored by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges.

It’s a standard and understanding, it has no force of law (unlike freedom of speech). The six regional accreditors work with American colleges and universities to put the standard into place. Here’s the pertinent section:

https://www.aaup.org/report/1940-statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure

How does her views that “Israeli and Zionist Jews” were responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, and for the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in 2015, meet the standard for academic freedom? See number 3 above.

18

That was my exact point in post 124. The woman is spreading lies. And possibly using her status as an academic to legitimize her bs. The academic community is absolutely right in severing its ties with her.

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Indeed, “the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances”, and may decide to take their full pay tuition to a more deserving institution.

20

I am all for freedom of speech and academic freedom, but when your public utterances prove that you’re ill-informed, I’m a little uneasy spending my money for you to educate my child.