Brigid Harrington Quoted in “The U.S. Started Investigating a Professor’s Pro-Palestine Speech. Then She Was Fired.” in Inside Higher Ed

October 4, 2024

Documents show that students at Muhlenberg College filed eight shared ancestry complaints about Professor Maura Finkelstein’s speech online and in the classroom, saying that they had significant anxiety and fear that was impacting their access to education. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes language that prohibits discrimination based on, among other things, shared ancestry, including antisemitism. The complaints appear to have spurred the college’s investigation of Finkelstein and may have contributed to her firing.

Brigid Harrington spoke with Inside Higher Ed about the issue:

Brigid A. Harrington, a partner at Bowditch & Dewey practicing higher education and employment law, said the letter is “echoing what we’ve seen in a lot of the OCR resolutions, which is colleges, even if they can’t discipline speakers, have an obligation to address a hostile environment.”

“Academic speech is not like blanket immunity,” Harrington said. And she said she thinks the letter provides a clear lesson for colleges and universities.

“You have to do an investigation and make a finding about whether there was a hostile environment, regardless of whether they [the employee or student] can be disciplined,” she said.

Continue reading “The U.S. Started Investigating a Professor’s Pro-Palestine Speech. Then She Was Fired.” on the Inside Higher Ed website.