The new and "improved" sexual harassment policy at Southern Illinois-Carbondale is being put to the test as a student is suing the Board of Trustees for terminating him after reporting sexual harassment. This represents a new low for the Goldman-Poshard regime, considering its already questionable dedication to due process concerning sexual harassment complaints against two other faculty members. This, in addition to a sexual harassment policy vile enough to bring attention to FIRE, adds on to a sad chapter in SIUC dedication to destroying the rights from First-Amendment on of its faculty and student body. Based upon the current fight the college is entrenched in with faculty unions, the best interpretation seems to point to a scared administration that decided, rather than risk further faculty outrage, to make a sacrifice out of Mr. Milligan.
Nothing new it seems, since another faculty member at the University of Utah was axed ostensibly for "contributing to a hostile environment for female faculty." This professor is also suing. Weak reasoning for the supposed misogyny aside (and female support for the prof in question), one has to wonder, since Prof. Lenowitz teaches Hebrew languages, if there was an ulterior reason for his removal from a middle-east department.
Nor is violating rights at Carbondale a surprise given the rise of fascist policy now in effect there. Case in point-Poshard and Haller seem fit to make it a crime to report plagiarism, especially one as sacrosanct as the university president, against whom could lead to administrative-sanctioned retaliation.
The rest of the country must by now surely view ILLinios as some kind of laughingstock.
Posted by Hound No. 3
