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Lawsuit Alleges Humboldt State Terminated Faculty Member for Her Speech
Jacquelyn Bolman, formerly director of the Indian Natural Resources Science and Engineering Program at Humboldt State University, was and is now alleging in a lawsuit that HSU was , in violation of her First Amendment rights.
Bolman had been vocal in her opposition to what she viewed as a 鈥渞acist campaign to undermine and eliminate Native [American] student programs鈥 by former HSU president Rollin Richmond. She had also written a report to the California State University accusing HSU of 鈥渘ot support[ing] minority students, faculty or staff.鈥
In January, students protested Bolman鈥檚 termination and , along with other proposed measures relating to diversity on campus. FIREhas yet to obtain a copy of the complaint, but according to the , Bolman alleges that HSU administrators told her that this incident was a key factor in her termination.
If that鈥檚 true, the HSU community is right to be alarmed. FIREhas written many times before about the importance of faculty members鈥 freedom of expression, particularly when professors are speaking on matters of public concern or about issues related to the subject they teach. If faculty speech is chilled鈥攁s it is sure to be if faculty are punished for being outspoken鈥攊t will be harder for students and professors to foster and participate in the 鈥渕arketplace of ideas鈥 that our public universities must be.
FIRE will watch Bolman鈥檚 case closely. Check back to The Torch for updates.
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