ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
It has been three weeks since the infamous tweet posted by @libsoftiktok sparked a national uproar against SUNY Fredonia distinguished teaching professor Dr. Stephen Kershnar.
Since then, the post has received over one million views, several news outlets covered the controversy and various statements have been released from SUNY Fredonia organizations. Yet, many of the conversations around the situation have fallen silent on campus.
Kendall Brooks, a junior childhood inclusive education major, had previously posted about the situation on his personal Facebook page. He urged his followers to sign a petition that calls for the removal of Kershnar created by a fellow student, Olivia Sylvester.
He explained when this information was first released in early February about Kershnar, he felt “as if there was finally going to be change happening in Fredonia.”
He continued, “Since then, this campus hasn’t updated anybody on further actions being taken on the professor… The school hasn’t really said anything, and I just find it feels like they’re just waiting for the waters to cool down before they put him back in the room.”
Brooks expressed he was “disappointed” that SUNY Fredonia hasn’t taken action against Kershnar yet, but he was not “shocked.”
“I honestly think students are kind of giving up on the situation because they haven’t seen any action being taken… they don’t feel like they’re being taken seriously,” said Brooks.
Despite these concerns, the change.org petition referenced above titled, “Fire Professor Stephen Kershnar from SUNY Fredonia,” has now reached over 50,000 signatures. Sylvester, a sophomore mathematics major who created the petition, originally stated in a previous interview with The Leader that she expected the petition to reach “500 signatures max.” However, this goal has since been met 100 times over.
Since The Leader’s last article on the matter, the SUNY Fredonia University Senate released a statement regarding the Kershnar situation. The senate agreed on a resolution during their meeting on the evening of Feb. 7. This meeting was open to all members of the SUNY Fredonia campus community.
Several faculty members spoke up about the matter — some were concerned about the protection of academic freedom while others were concerned that the university was complicit in supporting Kershnar’s viewpoints. Student Association President Ilene Thompson also spoke on behalf of the student body’s concerns. The discussion time centered around these issues was extended by 15 minutes.
Two days later, on Feb. 9, the University Senate released their statement to all students and faculty. They started the statement with, “The Fredonia University Senate is committed to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
As the senate committee is made up of a variety of people who have dedicated their lives to academia, it makes sense that they started this statement with the support of academic freedom. The statement continued, “Academic freedom also confers responsibilities, including fidelity to evidence, accuracy and intellectual honesty.”
In the next paragraph, the senate separated themselves from Kershnar’s statements and viewpoints. It read, “We condemn Dr. Kershnar’s statements… Dr. Kershnar’s statements do not represent the values and ideals of the Fredonia University Senate.”
Although the statement itself does not list any actions that might be taken next or new developments, it does symbolically separate the University Senate from Kershnar. The full statement can be read on WGRZ.
On Feb. 12, the SUNY Fredonia Student Association also made a statement on their Instagram account, @fredonia_sa. It read, “The Fredonia Student Association would like to offer their support to the students. Professor Kershnar’s statements overlook morality and violates the ethics set in stone by this university.”
The statement continued, “The SA exces are students before anything else and we stand 100% with you.” The association offered their help to students by inviting them to their office and being open to hearing their thoughts.
The post ended with, “We know how difficult it’s been anticipating an answer/solution. We are right there with you. Let us lean on each other for support at this time.”
There is not much certainty on what will happen next, but what is certain is that everyone has their own opinion in regards to this situation.
James Lillin, a SUNY Fredonia 2018 alum who graduated with a triple-major in acting, English, and women and gender studies, created a video essay on YouTube regarding the Kershnar situation. The video titled, “Debating the Devil: Breaking the Kershnar Cycle (SUNY Fredonia Controversy Response),” features information from “dozens” of anonymous sources within the SUNY Fredonia community. Lillin said he was able to “cross-verify” the information he was given through “multiple parties.”
The video analyzes the topic in great length, spanning over an hour. Lillin discusses the background of the situation and was able to take an in-depth look at the “Brain in a Vat” podcast interview, the source of Kershnar’s viral controversial clips. Lillin was able to download the video before it was removed from YouTube for violating community guidelines. He also provided information about the 2006 controversy and direct ways students can file complaints to the school.
Another SUNY Fredonia alum, Aaron Stadler, who graduated in 2008, wrote a Letter to the Editor in support of Kershnar. Stadler had Kershnar as a professor, and he wrote, “I can attest that Dr. Kershnar is one of the best professors I have ever had.” His full Letter to the Editor is featured on page 24 of Issue 8 of The Leader, released on Feb. 23, 2022.
As of Feb. 19, Kershnar has not been allowed back on campus and appears to still be “under review.” President Stephen Kolison has not sent out any further public updates on the matter.
Kolison was contacted via email for an update by The Leader, but he did not reply. University Police Chief Brent Isaacson was also contacted via email for an update regarding the harassment on campus, but he is out of the office until Feb. 20 and did not respond.
It is expected that this situation won’t be fully resolved for much longer, and it is unknown when a public statement with more detail will be made to the campus community.