Brandeis University: Professor Found Guilty of Harassment for Protected Speech

Case Materials

• "FIRE's Letter to Brandeis Trustee Kenneth S. Kaiserman," July 21, 2008
• "FIRE's Letter to Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz," July 9, 2008
• "Brandeis’ Inexplicable War Against Its Faculty," Robert Shibley, July 3, 2008
• "Brandeis University Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities: Report from May 15 Faculty Meeting," May 22, 2008
• "Final Faculty Meeting Senate Chair Report, May 15, 2008," May 15, 2008
• "Brandeis Faculty Senate Minutes, May 1, 2008," May 1, 2008
• "Report from the Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities, Brandeis Faculty Meeting," April 10, 2008
• "Statement by Provost Marty Krauss," April 10, 2008
• "Brandeis Faculty Senate Minutes, March 13, 2008," March 13, 2008
• "Brandeis University Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, January 31, 2008," February 6, 2008
• "FIRE's Letter to Brandeis University's Board of Trustees, Feburary 5, 2008," February 5, 2008
• "Editorial: There is such a thing as bad publicity," The Brandeis Hoot, February 1, 2008
• "The Provost Statement, January 29, 2008," January 29, 2008
• "Brandeis University Tramples Free Speech and Academic Freedom," FIRE Press Release, January 23, 2008: Brandeis University declared a professor guilty of racial harassment and placed a monitor in his classes after he criticized the use of the word "wetbacks" in his Latin American Politics course. Professor Donald Hindley, a nearly 50-year veteran of teaching, has neither been granted a formal hearing by Brandeis nor provided with the substance of the accusations against him in writing. Hindley has turned to FIRE for help.
• "Brandeis University Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy," January 23, 2008
• "Brandeis University Faculty Handbook," January 23, 2008
• "Report from Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities, December 19, 2007," December 19, 2007
• "FIRE Letter to Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz, December 12, 2007," December 12, 2007
• "Report from Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities, December 10, 2007," December 10, 2007
• "Report from Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities, November 29, 2007," November 29, 2007
• "Brandeis University Faculty Senate Resolution, November 8, 2007," November 8, 2007
• "Letter from Provost Marty Krauss to Professor Donald Hindley, October 30, 2007," October 30, 2007
• "Letter from Director of Employment Jesse Simone to Professor Donald Hindley, October 30, 2007," October 30, 2007

Blog Entries

• "Now I’m Offended," Jake Summerhays, July 22, 2008
• "Brandeis Alumnus Blasts University for Treatment of Professor," Luke Sheahan, July 11, 2008
• "FIRE Calls on Brandeis to Resolve Faculty Revolt," Adam Kissel, July 10, 2008: Given the unprecedented revolt of faculty and students at Brandeis University, FIRE has called on President Jehuda Reinharz to rescind the ill-conceived finding of guilt against Professor Donald Hindley in order to restore order and Brandeis University's good name. This revolt has involved multiple unanimous faculty resolutions against the administration, faculty reports demonstrating that Brandeis administrators violated Professor Donald Hindley's academic freedom and due process rights, the withdrawal of faculty support for the school's harassment policy, the suspension of hearing new faculty grievances, and withering public attention. The faculty is rightly concerned about the "chilling atmosphere concerning free speech" at Brandeis since Provost Marty Krauss placed a monitor in Hindley's classes and threatened him with termination after he criticized the term "wetbacks" in class. FIRE is asking the 160 recipients of copies of our letter to contact President Reinharz and urge him to end this sorry chapter of Brandeis's history.
• "Brandeis’ Inexplicable War Against Its Faculty," Adam Kissel, July 3, 2008
• "Brandeis University “Honored” in 'The Boston Phoenix’s' 2008 Muzzle Awards," Peter Bonilla, June 30, 2008
• "Faculty Rights vs. Provostal Abuses at Brandeis," Adam Kissel, May 22, 2008
• "Brandeis Faculty Continues to Revolt in ‘Wetbacks’ Case," Adam Kissel, May 19, 2008
• "“Muzzle Tov” to Brandeis and Valdosta State from Greg," Erin Royce, April 11, 2008
• "Demonstration at Brandeis Today—Red Alert in Action," Adam Kissel, April 10, 2008
• "Associated Press, Harvey Silverglate and Blogosphere Cover the Jefferson Muzzles," Erin Royce, April 10, 2008
• "Brandeis Faculty Senate Excoriates Administration, Revolts," Adam Kissel, March 26, 2008
• "Editorial Warns of Brandeis’s Waning Reputation Over Speech Controversies," Adam Kissel, March 26, 2008
• "Brandeis Student Press Critiques More Violations of Free Speech," Erin Royce, March 7, 2008
• "Brandeis Faculty Step Up to Defend Academic Freedom, Attack Administration," Adam Kissel, February 7, 2008
• "FIRE Alerts Brandeis Trustees to Hindley Case," Adam Kissel, February 6, 2008
• "The Case of Donald Hindley: Eerily Familiar, Inexcusably Handled," Greg Lukianoff, February 1, 2008
• "‘The Brandeis Hoot’ Seeks Answers from Administration," Erin Royce, February 1, 2008
• "After Brandeis Response, Professor Volokh Asks Tough Questions," William Creeley, January 30, 2008
• "FIRE in the Brandeis Student Press," Azhar Majeed, January 30, 2008
• "Brandeis Provost Misrepresents Its Prosecution of Professor's Classroom Speech," Adam Kissel, January 29, 2008
• "Professor Condemns Brandeis’s Treatment of Donald Hindley," Samantha Harris, January 28, 2008
• "FIRE Speaks About Brandeis on WBZ Radio Tonight," Greg Lukianoff, January 25, 2008

Media Coverage

• "Justice Brandeis would be proud … or would he?," Harvey Silverglate, The Phoneix, April 8, 2008
• "EDITORIAL: We didn't start the FIRE: Future of free speech at stake," The Justice, March 25, 2008
• "Free speech 'dead' on campuses," Anya Bergman, The Justice, March 18, 2008
• "FIRE founder discusses speech," David Pepose, The Brandeis Hoot, March 14, 2008
• "Prof investigated for offensive class remark," Kimberly Wexler, The Daily Free Press, February 6, 2008
• "ACLU statement criticizes Provost," David Pepose, The Brandeis Hoot, February 1, 2008
• "FIRE publishes report on Hindley," Noah Bein, The Justice, January 29, 2008
• "Ethnic sensitivities threaten academic freedom," Joe Murray, The Bulletin, January 28, 2008
• "Shhh! Free speech crackdown on campus," Margery Eagan, Boston Herald, January 27, 2008
• "Brandeis professor says his right to free speech violated," Stephanie Siek, The Boston Globe, January 25, 2008
• "Civil liberties group defends Hindley," David Pepose, The Brandeis Hoot, January 25, 2008
• "Prof fights reprimand for ‘wetback’ reference," Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald, January 25, 2008
• "Slang term use lands professor in hot seat," Eric Athas, The Daily News Tribune, January 25, 2008
• "Prof in trouble for blasting ‘wetbacks’ slur," WorldNetDaily, January 24, 2008
• "Professor takes heat over wetbacks stance," Newsmax.com, January 24, 2008
• "Censorship at Brandeis, again," Harvey Silverglate, The Phoenix, January 24, 2008
• "Brandeis professor under fire for description of racial epithet," Mark Pratt, The Boston Globe, January 24, 2008
• "Harassment vs. academic freedom, round two," Andy Guess, Inside Higher Ed, January 24, 2008
• "Prof in trouble for blasting ‘wetbacks’ slur," WorldNetDaily, January 24, 2008
• "Brandeis professor under fire for description of racial epithet," Associated Press (AP), Eyewitness News WPRI, January 24, 2008