ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
CHLOE KOWALYK
News Editor
After hearing of the controversial views discussed by Dr. Stephen Kershnar, a philosophy professor at SUNY Fredonia, many students were enraged. They took to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and even Yik Yak, an anonymous social media forum that shows posts by people within a small radius.
One student, Olivia Sylvester, a sophomore mathematics major, created a petition on Change.org after hearing about Kershnar’s several works and podcast appearances surrounding topics such as pedophilia, sexism and racism.
The petition, titled “Fire Professor Stephen Kershnar from SUNY Fredonia,” encourages students to sign in support of removing Kershnar from campus. As a result of his ideas, some students no longer feel safe on campus with Kershnar as a professor. At the time of writing this article, the petition had over 14,500 signatures.
Sylvester said she started the petition after seeing Kershnar’s discussions on Twitter. “I was just in disbelief about what he said… you will [see] his other publications and you’ll hear what students are saying you’re like, ‘Oh my god, someone has to do something about this,’” she said.
Students, parents, alumni, community members and social media users that are aware of the situation are among the thousands of people to sign Sylvester’s petition.
Sylvester explained that she never expected the petition to blow up. “I was getting ready for my 10 a.m. class and just made the petition and I’m like, ‘Oh, I hope maybe like 50 people to sign it, 500 max,’” she said.
However, Sylvester expressed significant concerns with starting the petition. When creating the petition, she listed her name as only “Olivia S” and didn’t include her last name to give herself some anonymity. Despite this, when she was interviewed by WGRZ Channel 2, her full name was listed with the television interview.
“I almost wish I wasn’t the one to make the petition, but I know that there might have not been another person who would’ve made it and actually followed through this far.” Sylvester continued, “So part of it’s an honor, and part of it’s a burden. But I’m glad to be making a difference at least.”
SUNY Fredonia students have been extremely vocal about this situation, both on social media and on campus. Donnie Woodard, a technical theatre major, tweeted on his personal Twitter account “SUNY Fredonia saying that Stephen Kershnar’s disgusting views on pedophilia do not reflect the views of the school in any way is a BOLD statement, given that the school BOASTED on every platform they had that he was a published author (for books on this exact disgusting material).” The post received over 100 likes.
Kendall Brooks, junior childhood inclusive education major, posted on Facebook: “Education is the gateway to a better future. No professor and/or educator should hold any position of power when they can’t understand women’s fundamental rights… [this] institution should understand that students pay for an education, not to feel unsafe in the classroom… As a future educator and administrator, schools and institutions need to consider the student body’s perspective more.” In the post, Brooks also linked the Change.org petition created by Sylvester.
Students who have previously taken courses with Kershnar have also come forward to share their experiences. Some have chosen to remain anonymous to prevent potential conflict.
One student has taken three classes with Kershnar — one last semester and the other two were taken two semesters ago. They said, “He always struck me as someone who gets a kick out of pissing people off. In fact, in his classes it was almost impossible to tell what he actually believed and what he didn’t.”
Matthew Spencer, a senior theatre arts major with a minor in political science and philosophy, is currently enrolled in two of Kershnar’s courses: PHIL-258: Life and Death and PHIL-313: Sex and Love. Spencer explained that in his Sex and Love course, Kershnar had a “very opinionated mindset on every topic.” Spencer continued, “If [Kershnar] asked a specific student, for an example, and they gave an answer that conflicted with his view on the topic or debate, he would badger them until they basically caved under the pressure of the professor repeating the question over and over again.”
Spencer also spoke about how his classmates were handling this situation. He said, “Personally, I feel uncomfortable not for my safety and existence, but for a lot of my female and younger classmates. I sit next to somebody who is a freshman in one of the classes… I’ve spoken with her privately outside of class and she is very, like scared — I think that is the best word for it — for her safety as she just got onto campus in August, and one semester in and this happens.”
Olivia Beilein-Hunt, a senior double major in journalism and public relations, was enrolled in one of Kershnar’s courses in 2018 as a freshman. She was enrolled in the course to cover a Fredonia Foundations requirement. Beilein-Hunt said, “Looking back, it’s scary to think of how many other freshmen have been required to learn from him.”
She detailed that Kershnar would “[play] devil’s advocate and [twist] facts with fantasy. He would compare things with porn, orgies, etc.” She continued, “It was a very uncomfortable environment, but as a freshman, I had no idea of what I was supposed to expect out of college classes… I was very conflicted on if I was being dramatic.” Beilein-Hunt ended up withdrawing from Kershnar’s course.
Another student who is currently enrolled in one of Kershnar’s classes said, “We were asked whether or not we thought that it was statuary rape for an older man to sleep with a women who appeared older but had a mind of a minor… I said I believed it was wrong [and] he disagreed and called our age group ‘prudes.’”
This student would also like to remain anonymous. Although they would like to drop Kershnar’s class, they fear not having enough credits to remain a full-time student. “I feel trapped with a professor who I don’t feel comfortable with,” the student said.
However, there has been discussions about the possibility that students may be able to drop Kershnar’s courses with no penalty and re-register for a different course. It is important to note, however, that the philosophy department is quite small. Spencer explained that if students drop Kershnar’s courses, they may not have an appropriate class to substitute for the credits they need to graduate, especially if they are in the philosophy program.
A student that hasn’t taken any of Kershnar’s classes, who has chosen to remain anonymous to avoid repercussions, saw the circulation of the Kershnar situation on social media offered some peaceful ways students can protest. “The students are in control completely,” they said. “They can stop taking his classes and withdraw from them, stop going to his classes … and peacefully protest around Fredonia, have conversations about it, etc.”
A protest has been planned by an anonymous group of students on Yik Yak, which will take place in Barker Commons on Feb. 6 at 2:30 p.m. A main cause of this protest is the ongoing Kershnar situation, but in an Instagram post about the protest, students are urged to come out to support the campus community, no matter what cause they are supporting. An in-depth article about this protest will be posted in the near future, as well as more articles on the Kershnar situation as a whole.