College Professor Fired for Calling US a 'Racist Fascist Country' in Class Email
Critics argued that Millsaps College dismissed Bowley after claims of fabricated policy violations.
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Millsaps College in Mississippi recently fired a tenured professor, James Bowley, following his use of his faculty email to express some personal views concerning the 2024 presidential election.
The controversy began on November 6, 2024. Bowley, in an email sent to his class "Abortion and Religions." Not only did he cancel the class session, but he also stated that he wanted to take time to grieve and reflect "on this racist fascist country." Bowley based his decision out of close intimacy with his tiny class of only three students he thought would need time to nurse their wounds and grieve in the wake of the election outcome.
According to WLBT3, the response was swift. He was slapped with administrative penalties, Allegations of Policy Fabrication. Just two days after his public pronouncements, Bowley was put on administrative leave by Millsaps Provost Stephanie Rolph.
The college claimed he had violated policy because he sent his personal opinion over college e-mail. Of course, as investigation later confirmed, no such policy existed in the college's handbook. According to a faculty grievance committee which reviewed the case, nothing inappropriate had taken place. Still, the college president, Frank Neville, supported this leave and afterward dismissed Bowley.
Critics Slam Millsaps College for Firing College Professor
The incident raises a question about free speech at Millsaps College: it punished Bowley for exercising his right to comment on public issues such as elections, an activity that courts normally protect as faculty speech. Even though private institutions like Millsaps are not compelled by the First Amendment, their decision appears to be at odds with the free expression principles they have articulated.
Support for Bowley skyrocketed, with more than 100 students, 500 alumni, and the free speech advocacy group FIRE, calling for his reinstatement. They condemned the college for violating due process, pointing out that Bowley's leave was not based on a formal hearing or legitimate reason. However, Neville ignored the grievance committee's recommendations, arguing that Bowley's actions were a valid reason for dismissal, without specifying why.
Bowley, looking back on his dismissal, expressed disappointment over the demise of free speech in academia.
