Robin Wilson has this report in the Chronicle of Higher Education discussing the speech rights of non-tenured college professors. The article includes this excerpt:
. . . June Sheldon, an adjunct professor of biology, did file suit in July against the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, claiming that San Jose City College violated her academic freedom. The college fired her last February following a student’s complaint that in a class on heredity, Ms. Sheldon cited a German study that showed environmental factors might contribute to male homosexuality.
After the student complained, a dean at San Jose investigated the validity of Ms. Sheldon’s statement by asking other biology professors at the college whether they agreed that environmental factors had anything to do with homosexual behavior. The lawsuit says the dean determined that Ms. Sheldon had taught “misinformation as science,” and the college terminated her.
Both the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the Alliance Defense Fund — a conservative group that was founded by Christian leaders — have supported Ms. Sheldon. “The cornerstone of public higher education is the freedom of professors to discuss competing theories and ideas in the classroom,” says the lawsuit the defense fund filed on Ms. Sheldon’s behalf. “Unfortunately, at San Jose/Evergreen Community College District these freedoms do not exist.” . . .
