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Teunure Denied Based on Political Viewpoint or
Something More?
A heated
controversy over a tenure decision has boiled to a head on the South Hill. At
Ithaca College, a sociology professor has alleged that the College denied her
tenure for political reasons and plans to sue the College.
Margo Ramlal-
Nankoe was denied tenure early this academic year. According to The Ithacan,
Ramlal-Nankoe's attorney told the College that her client would carry out a "long
and protracted legal case" if College officials did not grant her tenure.
The Ithaca College community knows Ramlal-Nankoe for her involvement in
Students for a Just Peace, a student organization that opposes Israeli involvement
in the West Bank.
Ramlal-Nankoe has been a professor at the College since
1997 and has been on a tenure track position for the past eight years. She accused
the College of denying her tenure because of her political beliefs, citing
inconsistent tenure review reports over the past eight years. An Ithaca College
media relations official told The Ithacan that the criteria for tenure, teaching,
scholarship, and service, apply to all tenure-candidates no matter their personal
beliefs.
In her first review, the College's former Provost cited a
"deficient record of scholarship" as the main reason for Ramlal-Nankoe's failure
to gain tenure. Last spring her review mentioned "unevenness in her teaching" as
another strike against her. Ramlal-Nankoe told The Ithacan that she has co-
authored two books and article, but both have yet to be published.
The
incident has ignited a political firestorm on campus. Leftists have accused the
College of violating principles of academic freedom and creating a political
litmus test for tenure. Even FIRE, an organization that normally advocates for
conservative academics, told The Ithacan that institutions that guarantee academic
freedom "have contractual obligations to respect [professors' rights]."
If
Ramlal-Nankoe does meet the tenure criteria, then of course she should be granted
tenure. But there is reason to believe that this is not the case. Why hasn't she
been published after being an academic for eleven years? Why has she received
negative feedback from students in faculty reviews? Could putting radical opining
ahead of teaching introductory material, in fact, cause "unevenness in her
teaching"?
With these questions remaining unanswered there is no way to
know if Ramlal-Nankoe is Ward Churchill or Cornel West.
controversy over a tenure decision has boiled to a head on the South Hill. At
Ithaca College, a sociology professor has alleged that the College denied her
tenure for political reasons and plans to sue the College.
Margo Ramlal-
Nankoe was denied tenure early this academic year. According to The Ithacan,
Ramlal-Nankoe's attorney told the College that her client would carry out a "long
and protracted legal case" if College officials did not grant her tenure.
The Ithaca College community knows Ramlal-Nankoe for her involvement in
Students for a Just Peace, a student organization that opposes Israeli involvement
in the West Bank.
Ramlal-Nankoe has been a professor at the College since
1997 and has been on a tenure track position for the past eight years. She accused
the College of denying her tenure because of her political beliefs, citing
inconsistent tenure review reports over the past eight years. An Ithaca College
media relations official told The Ithacan that the criteria for tenure, teaching,
scholarship, and service, apply to all tenure-candidates no matter their personal
beliefs.
In her first review, the College's former Provost cited a
"deficient record of scholarship" as the main reason for Ramlal-Nankoe's failure
to gain tenure. Last spring her review mentioned "unevenness in her teaching" as
another strike against her. Ramlal-Nankoe told The Ithacan that she has co-
authored two books and article, but both have yet to be published.
The
incident has ignited a political firestorm on campus. Leftists have accused the
College of violating principles of academic freedom and creating a political
litmus test for tenure. Even FIRE, an organization that normally advocates for
conservative academics, told The Ithacan that institutions that guarantee academic
freedom "have contractual obligations to respect [professors' rights]."
If
Ramlal-Nankoe does meet the tenure criteria, then of course she should be granted
tenure. But there is reason to believe that this is not the case. Why hasn't she
been published after being an academic for eleven years? Why has she received
negative feedback from students in faculty reviews? Could putting radical opining
ahead of teaching introductory material, in fact, cause "unevenness in her
teaching"?
With these questions remaining unanswered there is no way to
know if Ramlal-Nankoe is Ward Churchill or Cornel West.
Jordan Fabian, Cornell Review - Tuesday, October 21, 2008
WVBR SOAPBOX ARCHIVE
~Burgergate: the media food-fight (Fri 11/13)
~WVBR News Presents: The Student Trustees (Sun 4/12)
~Student Trustee Candidates Speak Out in Forum (Tue 4/7)
~WVBR Interviews Slope Day's Pat Maloney (Fri 3/27)
~Dragon Day Disappointment (Tue 3/24)
~WVBR News Endorses Chris Basil and Nikki Junewicz For S... (Mon 3/2)
~Why We Endorsed a Candidate (Mon 3/2)
~Marijuana Legalization (Wed 2/11) 1 Comment
~The Media Aids Terrorists (Tue 2/10)
~No Mo' Gitmo, Oh-Oh (Tue 1/27) 1 Comment
~Skorton's Murky Tenure (Thu 12/4)
~State of the Republican Party? A-OK! (Tue 11/18) 1 Comment
~What To Do About NBA Basketball (Fri 11/14)
~Marijuana Mandate in Massachusetts (Tue 10/28)
~Teunure Denied Based on Political Viewpoint or
Someth... (Tue 10/21)
~No Honorary Degrees, Says Faculty
Senate (Mon 10/20)
~Sam Levine, Once Again, On the Presdiential Election (Fri 10/17)
~GM foods soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Stem Cell Soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Education Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sarah Palin Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sam Levine on The VP Debate (Fri 10/3)
~BBC's Blatant Bias Rebuffs Climate Change Challengers (Tue 9/30)
~Sam Levine on Sarah Palin (Fri 9/26)
~McCain is Able (Tue 9/23)
~The Cornell Review's Response to the
SA (Tue 9/16)
~Sam Levine on Racism (Fri 9/12)
~A Legacy of Political Hunters (Tue 9/9)
~Sam Levine on Palin/McCain (Fri 9/5)
~Sam Levine on His Senior Thesis (Fri 9/5)
~WVBR News Presents: The Student Trustees (Sun 4/12)
~Student Trustee Candidates Speak Out in Forum (Tue 4/7)
~WVBR Interviews Slope Day's Pat Maloney (Fri 3/27)
~Dragon Day Disappointment (Tue 3/24)
~WVBR News Endorses Chris Basil and Nikki Junewicz For S... (Mon 3/2)
~Why We Endorsed a Candidate (Mon 3/2)
~Marijuana Legalization (Wed 2/11) 1 Comment
~The Media Aids Terrorists (Tue 2/10)
~No Mo' Gitmo, Oh-Oh (Tue 1/27) 1 Comment
~Skorton's Murky Tenure (Thu 12/4)
~State of the Republican Party? A-OK! (Tue 11/18) 1 Comment
~What To Do About NBA Basketball (Fri 11/14)
~Marijuana Mandate in Massachusetts (Tue 10/28)
~Teunure Denied Based on Political Viewpoint or
Someth... (Tue 10/21)
~No Honorary Degrees, Says Faculty
Senate (Mon 10/20)
~Sam Levine, Once Again, On the Presdiential Election (Fri 10/17)
~GM foods soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Stem Cell Soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Education Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sarah Palin Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sam Levine on The VP Debate (Fri 10/3)
~BBC's Blatant Bias Rebuffs Climate Change Challengers (Tue 9/30)
~Sam Levine on Sarah Palin (Fri 9/26)
~McCain is Able (Tue 9/23)
~The Cornell Review's Response to the
SA (Tue 9/16)
~Sam Levine on Racism (Fri 9/12)
~A Legacy of Political Hunters (Tue 9/9)
~Sam Levine on Palin/McCain (Fri 9/5)
~Sam Levine on His Senior Thesis (Fri 9/5)
