AAUP Sends Letter to Babson College about Dismissal for Social Media Posts

The AAUP sent a letter today to the administration of Babson College regarding the case of Asheen Phansey, a part-time faculty member who was summarily dismissed on January 9 after posting a jocular comment on Facebook concerning President Trump’s tweeted threat to bomb Iranian cultural sites.

The letter reads in part,

Assuming the accuracy of the information provided us, we must regard the administration’s action to dismiss Mr. Phansey from his part-time faculty position as a summary dismissal, effected in contravention of normative standards of academic due process set forth in the enclosed 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure and in the complementary 1958 Statement on Procedural Standards in Faculty Dismissal Proceedings. These widely adopted standards require an administration to demonstrate adequate cause before a duly constituted faculty body prior to dismissal. The action taken against Mr. Phansey is thus a matter of basic concern to this Association under our longstanding responsibilities.

Read the AAUP's letter to Babson College