Professor John McAdams, who was suspended at Marquette University over a blog post defending traditional marriage, has followed through on seeking legal counsel and is suing the school.
McAdams wrote a blog post standing up for a student who expressed views in support of traditional marriage in an ethics class. He argued that the student was censored by the ethics teaching assistant, graduate student Cheryl Abbatte, who later received e-mails from others.
The professor was placed on paid suspension in December 2014 while the blog post was investigated. University President Michael Lovell informed McAdams in March that he would be suspended with benefits but not pay. His return would be conditional upon issuing an apology and guilt.
McAdams is represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), which on Monday issued a press release. It noted that the school had “illegally suspend[ed] him” and terminated his tenure to fire him.
It also emphasized McAdams will not apologize:
He has repeatedly denounced the negative remarks towards the Instructor that have been made on social media and elsewhere, but he did nothing other than accurately blog about what the Instructor said and how Marquette failed to react.
WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg called Lovell’s terms for reinstatement “in the manner of a Soviet show trial.” Esenberg also noted that Marquette “has said that it welcomes debate and self-criticism. That is precisely what Professor McAdams was engaged in.”
There was also a press conference during which McAdams answered he would not walk away for a monetary figure.
The complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court alleges breach of contract and that Marquette violated free speech and academic freedom.
Marquette released their statement on Monday:
“Our main goal throughout this process has been to ensure that no other Marquette student is ever subjected to an extensive public shaming campaign by a member of our faculty,” the statement closed.
The university also posted an FAQ page last month. “There has been a lot of misinformation on the internet and from groups outside our campus about a personnel situation, involving Marquette and Associate Professor John McAdams,” it began.
The FAQ emphasized that in order to return, McAdams “must provide an assurance that he will not continue behaviors that harm others within the Marquette community” and points to “A call for decency” from Lovell.
The page also denies that the incident is about McAdams’ political views or about freedom of speech or academic freedom. “We have taken the position we have because of our Catholic identity and our values,” the FAQ writes.
The treatment of McAdams may be an unfortunate trend in academia. Conservative professors have a more difficult time achieving tenure and many have felt the need to censor themselves to avoid treatment similar to McAdams.
