Lakeland Community College: Disciplining of Professor for Religious Speech

Case Materials

• "Philosophy Professor, Punished for Disclosing Religious Beliefs, Sues College," FIRE Press Release, June 30, 2004: A philosophy professor who was punished for disclosing his religious viewpoint to students has filed suit against Lakeland Community College in Ohio. Professor James Tuttle was disciplined by the administration and later stripped of his classes for making statements on his syllabi and in class lectures that referenced his religious faith and how it shaped his personal philosophy.
• "Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs," FIRE Press Release, February 5, 2004: Lakeland Community College near Cleveland, Ohio, has stripped a philosophy professor of his classes for refusing to hide his religious identity from students. Dr. James Tuttle, a Catholic philosopher, was threatened with dismissal for making statements on his syllabi and in class that disclosed his religious faith and its effect on his views on ethics and philosophy.
• "Tuttle Complaint," February 1, 2004
• "FIRE Letter to Lakeland Community College President Morris W. Beverage, Jr., December 5, 2003," December 5, 2003

Media Coverage

• "Saying He Was Punished for Revealing His Faith, Adjunct Sues Ohio College," Jamilah Evelyn, Chronicle of Higher Education, July 26, 2004: An adjunct professor of philosophy at Lakeland Community College has sued the Ohio college, saying it violated his First Amendment rights when it punished him for disclosing his religious beliefs to students in class.
• "Lawsuit tests religious speech in class," Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor, July 12, 2004: A professor spoke of his religious views in class and says the college then took action against him. Does a teacher have the right to share such beliefs in class?
• "Professor charges anti-Catholic bias," Deb McCown, The Washington Times, July 8, 2004: A college philosophy instructor says he filed a lawsuit in federal court after school administrators punished him for telling students that his personal philosophy is based on his Catholic faith.
• "A Heretic in Academe," Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2004: In March of last year, philosophy professor James Tuttle received a complaint that had been forwarded by his superior at Lakeland Community College in Ohio. The student letter-writer charged that Prof. Tuttle had made comments she deemed offensive to women and gays, and that he'd also shown signs of hostility to Muslim women. "I feel," she wrote, "as if I have been crushed, and forced to endure views that I do not agree with . . . we are supposed to be learning philosophy." But the main problem, the letter stressed, was the professor's excessive reference to his religion -- Catholicism. How, she wondered, would non-Catholic, liberal students "be able to defend themselves or even be able to learn in such a hostile learning environment?" The philosophy professor needed the separation of church and state explained to him; furthermore, the student said, his classes should be monitored and he should undergo counseling.
• "Truth and Consequences," Matt Kaufman, Boundless Webzine, March 11, 2004
• "Philosophy Prof Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs," Jody Brown and Jim Brown, The AgapePress, February 11, 2004
• "Tolerance Counseling," Scott Norvell, Fox News, February 9, 2004: A philosophy professor at Lakeland Community College near Cleveland, Ohio, has been removed from his post for not disguising his deeply held Catholic beliefs, reports the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
• "College: Prof. not 'removed' for religion," Lou Marano, United Press International, February 8, 2004
• "Just Think, the Original Universities Were Created by Catholics...," Carl Olson, Envoy Magazine, February 8, 2004
• "Traditional Catholic Professor Punished for Teaching Beliefs," MichNews, February 8, 2004
• "Professor of philosophy in Ohio being punished for letting his beliefs inform his teaching," Carl Olson, Encore Magazine, February 8, 2004
• "Traditional Catholic Professor Punished for Teaching Beliefs," J. Swank, MichNews, February 8, 2004
• "Religion in class sparks conflict," Jennifer Gonzalez, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), February 6, 2004: A Lakeland Community College professor says his teaching duties were reduced as punishment for disclosing his religion to his students during class.
• "Catholic Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs," LifeSiteNews.com, February 6, 2004
• "Catholic professor punished for views," WorldNetDaily, February 5, 2004
• "Professor Removed for Saying He's Catholic," NewsMax, February 5, 2004