A Michigan Tech professor was relieved of his teaching duties after calling Young Americans for Freedom students “childish, stupid, homophobic, dumb, racist twits” for celebrating the 34th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to an email obtained by the New Guard.
The announcement, sent by the university’s provost, says that Dr. Carl Blair, who taught in the field of global issues, will be replaced for the remainder of the semester.
“As an institution with a strong research focus, Michigan Tech vigorously supports freedom of speech and academic freedom,” the provost wrote. “We follow the Chicago Principles in this manner. With this, we expect an environment of respect and acceptance of diverse perspectives, perhaps most importantly within our classrooms. We regret this has not been your experience in this class this week.”
It is unclear whether he has been suspended, terminated, or reassigned to a different group of students. The New Guard has sent a request for clarification to the university.
When the New Guard reached Dr. Blair by phone for comment on Tuesday, the intolerant professor slammed the phone after stating, “I stand by my words and I have nothing else to say to you.”
“We’re very glad that the university is standing up for free speech and won’t back down even when professors go against it,” Andrew Keys, chairman of Michigan Tech YAF, remarked.
