A colleague in my field who teaches at Millsaps College, Dr. James E. Bowley, was fired because he sent out an email the day after the election canceling class that day to "mourn and process this racist and fascist country."
Dr. Bowley is known for his contributions to the Dead Sea Scrolls concordance project and research between the literary and cultural interactions between Greeks, Jews, and Christians.
This kind of academic bullying preceding a second Trump administration is unacceptable and sends the message that the opinions of professors, students, researchers, and other staff will not be protected under a government that will be extremely hostile to academic research. What was said in the e-mail was not anything shocking, and as far as criticism goes, it is still rather mild. It is very obvious what Milsaps is doing by cracking down on Dr. Bowley.
Our country is at a crossroads, and academic freedom needs to be both protected by the administration and defended by the students and public at large. We have seen over the decade an increase in hostility towards academic researchers. This is unacceptable. It is a threat to the public at large, as the rights of academics are curtailed; so too are the rights to free speech of the rest of the general public. When the government and academic institutions crack down on these freedoms, they also crack down on the necessary research and development required to advance society—whether that be in technology, sociology, or any other field of research. By cracking down on academics, we are cracking down on the engine that furthers our development as a society.
Even more importantly, this attack, like many attacks on academics, exposes a trend when zooming out: the assault on academic freedom is coming from the fascist right and is nothing more than an attempt to silence critics. While right-wing professors are allowed to say much worse, scathing, even harmful things, often attacking students and colleagues, almost nothing is done when their speech bleeds over into real-world harassment. However, those on the left are viciously singled out for the most banal and obvious criticisms we make.
If you want to help Dr. Bowley, you can send the following e-mail:
Dear Interim Provost Rolph and President Neville,
I am reaching out in support of Prof. James Bowley. Along with many others, I am demanding that you immediately reinstate him, compensate for damages and publicly apologize to James Bowley.
Signed
YOUR NAME
To:
- President Neville - frank.neville@millsaps.edu
- Interim Provost Rolph - rolphsc@millsaps.edu
Please be respectful, courteous, and professional in your communications to Millsaps College.
Sources:
Esoterica (Youtube)
FIRE - Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression