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Syracuse University: Education Student Expelled over Facebook Comments

Syracuse University's School of Education effectively expelled a graduate student from its teaching program after he complained on Facebook about a racially charged comment made in his presence by a community leader that student teachers were coming from Syracuse rather than historically black colleges. Matthew Werenczak was required to undergo a special course of diversity training and counseling for "anger management" just to earn a chance of readmission. Just hours after FIRE took the case public on January 18, 2012, Syracuse readmitted Werenczak but blamed its actions on the standards of its accreditor, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Case Materials

• "Transcript, "Syracuse University Expels Student over Facebook Comments"," May 13, 2013
• "Victory: Syracuse Drops Expulsion Hours after FIRE Press Release ," January 19, 2012: Syracuse University's School of Education has readmitted a graduate student it had expelled from its teaching program after he complained on Facebook about a racially charged comment made in his presence by a community leader. Syracuse had told Matthew Werenczak that his only chance for reinstatement was to undergo a special course of diversity training and counseling for "anger management"—all because he expressed annoyance over a community leader's complaint that student teachers were coming from Syracuse rather than historically black colleges. Within hours of FIRE bringing his case to the public, Werenczak was readmitted.
• "Letter from Syracuse University Lawyers to FIRE, January 18, 2012," January 18, 2012
• "Syracuse University Letter to Matthew Werenczak, January 18, 2012," January 18, 2012
• "Syracuse Expels Ed Student for Complaining on Facebook about Racial Comment," January 18, 2012: Syracuse University's School of Education has effectively expelled a graduate student from its teaching program after he complained on Facebook about a racially charged comment made in his presence by a community leader. Syracuse told Matthew Werenczak that his only chance for reinstatement was to undergo a special course of diversity training and counseling for "anger management"—all because he expressed annoyance over a community leader's complaint that student teachers were coming from Syracuse rather than historically black colleges. After completing all requirements but still being denied readmission, Werenczak turned to FIRE for help.
• "FIRE Letter to Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, January 10, 2012," January 10, 2012
• "Matthew Werenczak Readmission Emails, 2011-12," January 4, 2012
• "Letter from Jeffery A. Mangram to Matthew Werenczak, September 7, 2011," September 7, 2011
• "Facebook comments, July 20, 2011," July 20, 2011

Blog Entries

• "Censorship at Syracuse, Part I: School Expels Student Over Facebook Comments (VIDEO)," by Nico Perrino, May 9, 2013: With three FIRE cases in the last three years, Syracuse University has been on FIRE's list of serial violators of student and faculty free speech rights for some time now. In fact, in 2011 and 2012, the school was featured prominently on our annual Huffington Post "Worst Colleges for Free Speech" list. FIRE's next few videos will chronicle Syracuse's abysmal record protecting rights on campus by revisiting two of the school's most headline-grabbing cases. We start this week with the case of Matthew Werenczak, a School of Education student who was expelled over comments he posted on Facebook:
• "Syracuse Press Takes Note of University’s Return to ‘Worst Colleges’ List," by Peter Bonilla, March 28, 2012
• "Gregory Germain Isn’t the Only One at Syracuse Who Disdains Free Speech," by Adam Kissel, February 15, 2012
• "Syracuse University’s Student Paper Laments Poor Speech Code Rating," by Lyzi Diamond, February 13, 2012
• "Robert in ‘Daily Caller’: Syracuse’s Free Speech Promises Are Worthless ," by Azhar Majeed, January 23, 2012
• "Will to Discuss Syracuse Expulsion Case on ‘Vicki McKenna Show’: Tune In at 6," by Adam Kissel, January 19, 2012
• "Victory: Syracuse Drops Expulsion Hours after FIRE Press Release," January 19, 2012
• "At Syracuse, Expelling a Student without Charges or a Hearing is ‘Standard Process’," by Adam Kissel, January 19, 2012
• "Syracuse Folds on Ed Student’s Expulsion," by Peter Bonilla, January 19, 2012
• "Syracuse Expels Ed Student for Complaining on Facebook about Racial Comment," by Adam Kissel, January 18, 2012

Media Coverage

• "Syracuse University among worst colleges for free speech for second straight year,"
  by Matt Harrigan, Syracuse Online, March 27, 2012
• "Syracuse reverses course after expelling student for Facebook post,"
  by Dennis Carter, eCampus News, January 23, 2012
• "SU grad student expelled, then readmitted over Facebook comment,"
  ABC News (Channel 9 Syracuse), January 18, 2012