With their support, I will continue to lead the Board to the best of my ability and serve the university I love, he wrote in a statement the university released last week. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Pollack-Pelzner said he believed the antisemitism was partly in response to his asking the school to do more to address allegations of sexual assault. Last year, Linfields faculty assembly voted it had no confidence in Baca, specifically in his ability to handle sexual harassment reporting, according to reporting from Linfields student newspaper The Linfield Review. Pollack-Pelzners interpretation of what Davis meant is a matter of opinion, not fact, and remains protected speech. That includes the dismissal of Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, which occurred in the middle of a Zoom meeting at Linfield University without him being granted any hearing or due process. Linfield University is a private institution that was founded in 1858. 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Higher Ed Leaders Propose Gun Violence Solutions, NYC Comptroller Urges Yeshiva U to Recognize LGBTQ Group, Ore. Lawmaker Seeks Sexual Misconduct Survey for All Colleges, New Report on the Resilience of Puerto Rican Universities. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In order to mitigate the harm caused by discrimination, or even the perception of discrimination, it is important that Linfield University thoroughly investigate the allegations raised, Cypers wrote. David Baca, longtime chair of Linfield University's Board of Trustees, said this week that he's stepping down. Jackson B. Miller, a communication arts professor, criticized both statements,. When he sent an email to the account from his personal email, he received an automatic response saying he no longer worked at the school. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). He told the Chronicle that his comment had been informed by his time in the Middle East. 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. As FIRE detailed yesterday, Linfield Universitys senior leadership abruptly terminated Daniel Pollack-Pelzner after he criticized the universitys handling of sexual assault and harassment allegations against board members, and alleged that Linfield president Miles K. Davis had made a remark about Jewish noses. Davis has, until now, denied that claim. Longtime trustee David Jubb, who left the board in June 2019, is accused of sexually abusing four different students, including a student trustee last year. Linfield University is affiliated with American Baptist Churches, USA. Dr. Vivian Ann (Johnson) Bull of Madison, New Jersey, a former college president and professor, and a recognized authority on the Middle East economic issues, died Aug. 12. Linfields administration does not get to pick and choose between the policies it has and the policies it wishes it had. Last week Linfield professor and faculty trustee Daniel Pollack-Pelzner tweeted that he faced antisemitic comments after he reported that multiple members of the universitys Board of Trustees had been accused of sexual misconduct by students and faculty over the past year. Photo by Daniel Hurst, courtesy of Linfield College LC-LC-. "After 13 years on the Board and four years as chair, Dave decided it was in Linfield's best interest that he step down and allow new leaders to come to the forefront," Scott Nelson, university spokesman, told The Oregonian. As Linfield adapts to meet the needs of a new generation of students and the demands of a quickly evolving world of higher education, the Board also has to adapt and change. Last month, the faculty of arts and sciences took a vote of no confidence in Dr. Davis and Mr. Baca and urged them to resign in a resolution that condemned intolerance, discrimination and retaliation. Kerry Carmody, the boards vice chair, was named interim chair, effective Oct.1. But my fellow trustees, who are very familiar with the events, have urged me to remain as Chairman. (Courtesy of Linfield University). Linfield - Nursing is a private university located in Portland, Oregon. The American Association of University professors has joined the effort, assailing the reckless and dangerous termination as a clear violation of the core principles of academic freedom and tenure.. These are real issues that Linfield has to deal with, and I understand the impulse to blame the messenger and claim that the harm is in the act of reporting rather than whats being reported, but Im hopeful that if we continue to shed a light on these abuses of power that that will allow us eventually to be able to rebuild and heal, Pollack-Pelzner said. Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan are reviving it. FIRE defends the rights of students and faculty members no matter their views at public and private universities and colleges in the United States. In a conversation about the importance of leveling with people, they claim, Davis said something like, You dont giveJews soapwhen you send them to theshowers. Perhaps the Oregon Board of Rabbis went too far in calling for Daviss resignation over comments that seem less anti-Jewish than from outer space. Earlier this year, Linfields College of Arts and Sciences held a similar vote signifying no confidence and calling for the resignation of both Baca and Davis. Further, the Oregon Board of Rabbis also called for the resignation of President Davis without talking with him or conducting an investigation of any kind.. How to request transcripts Contact us For more information on how to get involved with Linfield, please don't hesitate to reach out. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. How Oregon researchers are testing 3D printing to reconstruct bone. Fill out the form below to receive personalized communications or close this window to continue. Allegations of Anti-Semitism at Linfield The university's ongoing sexual misconduct scandal involving trustees is a two-headed monster, now that one faculty trustee says he faced anti-Semitism for pushing for reform. The ADL, the report says, failed to conduct any independent investigation, preferring to simply believe the complaint despite the fact the University had already conducted an independent review. Israeli Orthodox Jew raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of settler riot, Wikipedias Supreme Court tackles alleged conspiracy to distort articles on Holocaust, This Purim, a space for queer Jews to celebrate their identities and dance the night away, Avi Maoz, Israeli politician and proud homophobe, resigns from deputy minister role, As Israel reels from violent attack on Palestinians, settler leadership remains unapologetic. 4d. The president said he was unaware of the guidelines, hadnt seen the most recent version of the faculty handbook, didnt know who had updated it, and didnt believe it had been approved by the administration. Portland Campus 2900 NE 132nd Ave Portland, Oregon 97230 971-369-4100. eCampus Online and Continuing Education (OCE) Online degrees and certificates 503-883-2200 Link to home page . Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. The indictment came after a student trustee filed a federal lawsuit in which she accused Mr. Jubb, 72, of assaulting her after a faculty-trustee dinner. Its hard to see the universitys interest in protecting the reputation of a former trustee, much less one who resigned (for health reasons, the university said) after allegedly sexually assaulting a student. He also insisted that the remark was part of an academic discussion and wasnt meant to be offensive. You are now subscribed to FIRE Updates. But, for Davis, the minutiae of process are important for others: So what did Pollack-Pelzner do to merit his dismissal? So which is it? (Linfield students, on the other hand, are subject to the noblesse oblige and whims of Davis: The student handbook has a get-out-of-policy-free card for Davis, granting him the prerogative of total authority to act without consultation with any other person or conduct board to suspend or expel any student that Davis feels is acting contrary and dangerous to the university. It is a small institution with an enrollment of 340 undergraduate students. So eight criminal charges total, not all of them felonies. The AAUP released the report of an investigating committee on the dismissal of Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a tenured English professor and endowed chair in Shakespeare studies at Linfield University in Oregon. The snitcheror whistleblowerin this case is Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, who was until recently a tenured Shakespeare scholar and a voting faculty member on Linfields Board of Trustees. frequently responds to hate and anti-Semitism on college campuses, rarely is that anti-Semitism or hatred perpetrated by a president of a university or other leadership.. Police, security agencies advise Jews to be on alert ahead of planned National Day of Hate on Shabbat, American citizen killed in latest West Bank shooting amid escalating violence, This Orthodox Jewish model made history at New York Fashion Week. 8011 Linfield Way, Atlanta, GA is a townhome home that contains 2,413 sq ft and was built in 2020. Dr. Pollack-Pelzner, Dr. Linder, Dr. Tompkins, Dr. Friedman and two other professors who had received requests to speak to the group responded in an email that investigating employees who have reported harassment and retaliation, no matter how well-intentioned the investigation is itself an act of retaliation., As the controversy has dragged on, Mr. Baca, the board chairman, has tried to reassure students and others on campus who have protested the handling of the sexual misconduct accusations, writing in a letter to the Linfield community last July, I believe that you are safe, that there is justice and that the trustees are protecting you.. Friedman.. Some professors may be uncomfortable with the changes he has made as the universitys first Black president, he said. The Oregonian/OregonLive generally doesnt identify alleged victims of sexual abuse but Motis said she wanted to be named after filing a lawsuit against the school. President Davis has been accused of being divisive, intimidating, combative, aggressive, disrespectful and abusive. Additionally, the ADL encouraged Linfield leadership to attend trainings on bias and antisemitism. How Biden Intends to Misuse the CHIPS Act, Academic Freedom Is Under Siege by Anti-Israel Politics. The Office of Alumni Engagement Melrose Hall 503-883-2547 alumni@linfield.edu Meet our team Nor is this a policy that somehow escaped the administrations approval: It has been in Linfields faculty handbook since at least 2013. Click here! This is simply not how tenure works. I dont know how anybody could feel safe in this environment., Linfield University Fires Professor Who Spoke Out About Misconduct Cases, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/us/Linfield-university-professor-fired.html. Pollack-Pelzner goes on to relate a strange . He said the university had ordered Mr. Jubb to stop fraternizing with students after he was first accused of misconduct in 2018. All Ive been trying to do for the last two years is to get Linfield leadership to follow its own policies. We find that President Davis has been subject to numerous instances of unfair treatment since his arrival in July 2018, and this unfair treatment of personal attacks were due to being a Black man, the report says. That is exactly what FIRE is telling Davis and the institution he currently leads. Theres a reaction to change, he said. Kerry Carmody, the board's vice chair, was named . Davis said he didnt remember Pollack-Pelzners mentioning he was Jewish. Explore the scintillating March 2023 issue of Commentary. Elan Ganeles, American killed in West Bank attack, remembered for his wit and friendship, As Orthodox Union and other Jewish groups condemn settler rampage, many avoid mentioning Benjamin Netanyahu, Planned Day of Hate against Jews passes by with packed synagogues and no violence, Red Sox exec Chaim Bloom says hes received antisemitism over teams woes, Jewish comedian Modi Rosenfeld says he still has plenty of Orthodox fans after opening up about being gay, ESPNs Jeff Passan opens up on his Hebrew school upbringing, interviewing Sandy Koufax and Jewish baseball history. Dr. Pollack-Pelzner said he had taken the letter as a personal attack, adding that he had been ordered not to talk about sexual misconduct outside of executive session and had then been banned from attending the sessions and finally fired after speaking out on Twitter. Baca came under scrutiny most recently earlier this year when former faculty member Daniel Pollack-Pelzner brought to light allegations of harassment and anti-Semitism among Linfield leadership. In his recent statement, Baca said his email to trustees announcing Jubbs resignation was supposed to be a private note., For those who expected me to publicly denounce Mr. Jubb, I would remind them that there had not been an investigation and there were no findings. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. An open letter signed by more than 1,800 professors says that Linfield denied Pollack-Pelzner due process. While I did not witness any untoward behavior as alleged, I regret that Mr. Jubb was allowed to be in the same setting with a student, Baca wrote. (JTA) In the latest developments in an ongoing controversy at Linfield University over the firing of a tenured Jewish professor who accused the school of anti-Semitism, a report from the. But in an interview with The Chronicle, Davis confirmed that he had indeed made the comment about Jewish and Arab noses, which he said had been informed by the time hed spent in the Middle East. Pollack-Pelzner said he doesnt know what his next steps will be, and that he isnt sure how he could persuade the administration to follow the guidelines in the handbook. This shouldnt be hard to understand. In its letter Thursday, Anti-Defamation League Pacific Northwest Regional Director Miri Cypers wrote that the ADL is not representing Pollack-Pelzner as his attorney nor is it in a position to verify his allegations, but that it is troubled by his descriptions of the incidents. Research Reveals Thermal Instability of Solar Cells but Offers a Bright Path Forward - February 14, 2023. Discover who you're meant to be. Davis said the university initiated internal and external investigations of each incident and found no support for the claims in Pollack-Pelzners posts. The university exists as a powerful reminder that threats to academic freedom often come not from ideologues but from administrators who fear criticism and have no business running a university. Im trying to figure out what my options are. Be a part of it! One of those trustees resigned in 2019 and has been charged with sexual abuse. ( JTA) In the latest developments in an ongoing controversy at Linfield University over the firing of a tenured Jewish professor who accused the school of antisemitism, a report from the. According to the summary of the independent investigation of that report, which was provided to OPB, Davis had approached the faculty member from behind, and rubbed his hands up and down the professors arms while saying he looked forward to a scheduled meeting. Most important, you should know that Professor Pollack-Pelzner has been engaged in a smear campaign toward me and the administration at Linfield University, Davis wrote. Please enter your email address. As for whether he faces eight felony charges or one felony charge and seven misdemeanors, the remark is substantially true: He does, in fact, face eight criminal charges. The FIRE Legal Network is a nationwide group of attorneys to whom we refer cases when counsel is necessary and the matter at issue falls outside the scope of FIREs mission or ability to assist. Linfield University has agreed to pay just over $1 million to settle a whistleblower suit filed by tenured English professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, who accused the university of firing him. B. Miller, a communication arts professor, criticized both statements, it wishes it had contains. Open letter signed by more than 1,800 professors says that Linfield denied due. 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