Bungled mess

The oldest university in the state of Minnesota is not acquitting itself well in that aftermath of not renewing an adjunct professor over an alleged incident of "Islamophobia."

As such, school employees are looking for a scapegoat. 

Hamline University’s full-time faculty on Tuesday asked President Fayneese Miller to resign over her administration’s handling of a Muslim student’s complaint about an adjunct professor who showed ancient art in class that depicted the Prophet Muhammad.

Various Hamline administrators have said that what took place in an October art history class was “undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic” and “an act of intolerance.” And Hamline rescinded its offer to have the adjunct professor, Erika Lopez Prater, teach again in the spring.

But after a wave of criticism from across the country, Miller conceded last week that she mishandled the episode.

In a joint statement Jan. 17 with the chair of Hamline’s board of trustees, Miller said “sometimes we misstep” and that it was “flawed” to have used the word “Islamophobic” to describe the incident.

On the same day, Lopez Prater sued the school for defamation and religious discrimination in Ramsey County District Court.

Hamline’s full-time faculty held a meeting Monday where they voted 71-12, with nine abstentions, to support a statement calling for Miller’s resignation, according to Jim Scheibel, a business professor and president of the faculty council.

“We are distressed that members of the administration have mishandled this issue and great harm has been done to the reputation of Minnesota’s oldest university,” the statement read, in part. “… As we no longer have faith in President Miller’s ability to lead the university forward, we call upon her to immediately tender her resignation to the Hamline University Board of Trustees.”

This is the inevitable conclusion when a high profile college tries to balance academic freedom with "wokeness." While the concept of academic freedom is the tenet of what universities are supposed to be about, the progressive tendencies of college admin and professors cause them to be scared to death of being shouted down by advocacy groups if they say something that "triggers" students. But had Hamline done the right thing and defended Ms. Lopez Prater based on the evidence gathered, they would have found that one of the largest Muslim advocacy organizations (i.e. CAIR) would've conceded to their findings. 

Here's hoping Ms. Lopez Prater is given a healthy settlement in light of this absolute debacle. 

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