Academic Freedom Alliance Letter to Collin College

The AFA calls on Collin College to reinstate Professor Michael Phillips

The Academic Freedom Alliance released a public letter to Collin College objecting to its treatment of Professor Michael Phillips. Collin College has had a very bad run of late. It was just named by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education as one of the ten worst colleges for free speech. FIRE reached a settlement with Collin College for its actions in terminating history professor Lora Burnett for criticizing Mike Pence and the college's pandemic response. The Collin College leadership likewise moved against two professors who were involved in union organizing and who criticized the college's pandemic response. Collin College has now informed another history professor who had publicly criticized the college that his contract is being terminated. Michael Phillips is also being represented by FIRE, and I expect we will be hearing more from FIRE about the case in coming days.

From the AFA letter:

For Professor Phillips to face the possible termination of his employment in part on the basis of and in retaliation for his constitutionally protected speech would violate his First Amendment rights. Under the circumstances, we call on the College to reverse its decision and renew his employment contract.

Read the whole thing here.

Comments

[DaivdBehar]

Excuse me, punk ass bitch lawyers. Stop writing letters. Start mandamusing the Non Profit Office of the IRS to rescind the tax exemption because these traitor schools are engaging in indoctrination, not in education.

[DaivdBehar]

Even if the claim fails utterly, it will be a shot across the bow of these traitor school filths.

[John F. Carr]

The big news for me is they have very conservative college administrations in Texas. Or at least one very conservative college administration.

[Jimmy the Dane]

Time to defund higher ed! Want to change behavior? Hit 'em in the pocket book. Works every time.

[abhudd47]

"For Professor Phillips to face the possible termination of his employment in part on the basis of and in retaliation for his constitutionally protected speech would violate his First Amendment rights."

Wrong. While I agree that the college has done the wrong thing by terminating these people and we should try to put pressure on them to reverse these decisions and policies, the college cannot violate their first amendment rights. The first amendment begins "Congress shall make no law..." Only the Government can violate the first amendment. The best argument that could be made is that it violates the Civil Rights Act and constitutes discrimination. But the Constitution exists to limit the actions of Government not of private individuals, so a private employer cannot violate somebody's first amendment rights.

[David Nieporent]

so a private employer cannot violate somebody's first amendment rights.

If you're going to correct people, you should try to find out the facts first. Collins College is not a private employer; it is a public school.