ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
The following story consists of updates regarding the Kershnar situation. This article was written Feb. 6, 2022.
HARASSMENT ON CAMPUS
There have been rumours swirling around campus that a threat may have been posted in one of the academic buildings. For confirmation on this matter, The Leader reached out to Brent Isaacson, Chief of University Police. Questions were asked about if a threat was indeed made, if said threat had a connection to the Kershnar situation and what the current status of the investigation was.
Isaacson replied with, “UPD did receive a complaint regarding a note on one of our academic buildings. We are investigating it as a harassment, not a threat. As it is under investigation, I will not be able to provide further information at this time.” The Leader will be looking into more updates on this matter.
LETTERS SENT TO SUNY FREDONIA
The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA) and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) both sent letters to SUNY Fredonia, advocating for Kershnar’s rights of free speech and academic freedom.
The AFA letter was written by Keith Whittington, chairperson of the academic committee of AFA, and was sent to SUNY Fredonia on Feb. 3.
Whittington wrote in the two-page letter, “I write on behalf of the Academic Freedom Alliance to emphasize that Professor Kershnar’s scholarly research and teaching on these topics is fully protected by principles of academic freedom and his public discussion of his ideas on these issues is protected by principles of freedom of speech. There is, quite simply, nothing for the university to review under these circumstances.”
The letter also states, “The university’s obligation in the face of this controversy is to provide a forum in which ideas, however extreme or misguided they may be or seem to be, can be articulated, criticized and fairly debated.”
Whittington calls for SUNY Fredonia to release a public statement “clearly reaffirming Professor Kershnar’s academic freedom.” SUNY Fredonia has yet to release a public statement of this nature.
The FIRE letter, written by Adam Steinbaugh, the director of the Individual Rights Defensive Program, spans seven pages. This letter was also sent to SUNY Fredonia on Feb. 3. Steinbaugh’s letter goes in depth about the background behind the situation, the implications of the First Amendment and the issues of removing Kershnar from campus. Steinburgh wrote, “By banning Kershnar from campus and initiating disciplinary procedures, including an ‘interrogation’ of Kershnar or ‘review’ of his extramural statements, SUNY Fredonia is in violation of the First Amendment.”
Steinbaugh urges SUNY Fredonia to “avoid effectuating a heckler’s veto by returning Kershnar to the classroom and publicly committing to protect the First Amendment rights of your faculty.” The letter also requests a “receipt of a response” from SUNY Fredonia “no later than the close of business on Monday, Feb. 6, 2022, confirming that SUNY Fredonia will not pursue an investigation or disciplinary sanction in this matter.” It is important to note that the Monday being referenced in the letter would be Feb. 7, not Feb. 6. It is unclear if SUNY Fredonia has responded or plans to respond to FIRE at the time of writing this article.
CHANGE.ORG PETITION UPDATE
The change.org petition titled, “Fire Professor Stephen Kershnar from SUNY Fredonia” has reached over 15,000 signatures. The petition was created on Feb. 3, meaning that it only took three days for 15,000 people to sign it. Before reaching this milestone, the petition read, “At 15,000 signatures, this petition becomes one of the top-signed on Change.org.”
PROTEST HELD IN BARKER COMMONS
On Sunday, Feb. 6, a protest was held in Barker Commons in the Village of Fredonia, N.Y. The event was not organized by one singular person, but rather was agreed upon by a group of students on Yik Yak.
The protest had a small turnout and acted more as an open discussion about student issues such as campus safety and mental health.
WKBW Channel 7 attended the event, along with students and professors of SUNY Fredonia. To read more about the conversations, check out “Intent vs. Impact: How can a professor’s words affect students’ mental health” and “Student safety: Is it a priority?“
KERSHNAR REMOVED CLASSES ON YOURCONNECTION
On Monday, Feb. 7, The Leader received a screenshot of an email from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The email was sent to a student enrolled in Kershnar’s PHIL-258 class. The email explained that the course will be taught by “a new instructor effective Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.” The email also listed that the class will be held as scheduled.
Upon further investigation by our reporters, it was also found that Kershnar’s name has been removed from YourConnection when searching for courses to register for. It is unclear why this change has been made and what it represents.