School considers plan to penalize professors whose conduct harms the university.
A proposal to strip professors of their emeritus status if they do anything to harm the reputation of San Diego State University is causing a backlash among faculty who say the policy would suppress free speech and stoke what some call the “cancel culture” movement.
D.J. Hopkins, the committee’s chairman, would not comment on the proposal, deferring to university administrators. Some faculty members say the policy appears to be directed at figures such as Stuart Hurlbert, an 81-year-old retired biology professor who often talks about such issues as immigration, diversity and race.that asks the university to revoke Hurlbert’s emeritus status.“Dr. Hurlbert has used biology department space and resources to distribute racist manifestos and texts filled with diatribes designed to cast doubt on the value of diversity,” the petition says, in part.
It is unclear when and if the policy will come before the University Senate. But opposition is already forming.“It seems to me that the proposal is an attempt on the part of SDSU to discredit criticism and oppositional voices, and drown out dissent,” said Peter Atterton, a philosophy professor and member of the Senate.
“Emeritus status is bestowed as an honor for prior service — service that could ostensibly include making statements or engaging in activities that were embarrassing to the university but that would be fully protected while a member of the traditional faculty. Yet, the same behavior would now justify removal of emeritus status. It is intellectually inconsistent if not dishonest,” he wrote.The proposed policy also bothers Peter Herman, a literature professor who is nearing retirement.
Herman also questioned how far back the alleged behavior could go to merit rescinding emeritus status.“Could my column pointing out President [Adela] de la Torre’s spending habits or the one about anti-Semitism at SDSU, since neither enhanced the university’s reputation and probably detracted from it, be used to deny me emeritus status?
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