From the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) (aggregated from Twitter posts, with some non-substantive modifications):
The University of Southern California just dismissed charges against a professor who was filmed telling a group of protesters last fall: “Hamas are murderers. That’s what they are. Everybody deserves to be killed, and I hope they all do.” .
After the campus exchange last November, students launched an online petition and filed a formal complaint calling for Professor Johann Strauss to be fired, accusing him of discrimination, harassment and creating an unsafe environment. The University of Southern California spent seven months “investigating” this less than 2-minute conversation and finally determined Strauss did not discriminate or harass, nor did his actions create a hostile environment.
USC’s policy commits to protecting faculty speech from institutional review or disciplinary action – Even if others disagree or feel offended. But for Professor Strauss, expressing his views bought him a month. Campus bans and 7mo. investigation. While we are pleased to learn that Professor Strauss will not face additional sanctions for his speech, it is important to remember A seven-month investigation based on clearly protected political speech was enough to chill the words of Strauss and the larger USC community.
Colleges and universities must strive to be places of free inquiry, open dialogue, and rigorous debate. When Strauss interacts directly with protesters and shares messages with which he disagrees, he is embodying (not undermining) that goal.
For more details about potential incidents, please see this article.
