Binghamton University: Student Suspended for Posters Criticizing Department of Social Work and Government Agency

Under pressure from FIRE, Binghamton University (formerly SUNY-Binghamton) abandoned its attempt to suspend or expel a student who put up posters challenging the Department of Social Work. Social work master's student Andre Massena thought the Binghamton Housing Authority (BHA) was responsible for social injustice, so he put up pseudonymous posters challenging the department for having hired the BHA’s executive director as a faculty member. The department then ordered that Massena leave the program for one year with no guarantee of return, required him to apologize, and demanded that he publicly disavow his own views. When Massena appealed, the department's chair added entirely new allegations and recommended his expulsion. With FIRE's support, all of the charges were dropped and Massena graduated.

 

    Case Materials

  • "Injustice at SUNY Binghamton," August 31, 2010
  • "Liberty in Peril: Speech Codes on our Nation's College Campuses," February 23, 2009: FIRE's Adam Kissel traveled to Binghamton University (BU) to deliver a speech on "Liberty in Peril: Speech Codes on our Nation's College Campuses." The speech, which was followed by an hour-long question-and-answer period, discussed speech codes nationwide and drew particular attention to FIRE's recent case at BU involving Andre Massena and BU's Department of Social Work. Massena was threatened with suspension and then expulsion after he posted flyers around campus that criticized the Binghamton Housing Authority's director, David Tanenhaus, and criticized the Department of Social Work for having hired him. Although the department dropped the charges against Massena under pressure from FIRE, it seems that a number of professors in the department have continued to attack him through other means. FIRE is investigating these allegations of retaliation, and Adam called on the BU administration to take them very seriously.
  • "Here’s to Change," February 20, 2009
  • "The saga continues," February 20, 2009
  • "Episode 202: Adam Kissel at Binghamton University," February 20, 2009: This week's episode of FIREside Chats features part one of Adam Kissel's lecture at Binghamton University last week. "Liberty in Peril: Speech Codes on our Nation's College Campuses" discusses speech codes nationwide and the recent events at BU involving Andre Massena and the Department of Social Work. Check back next week for part two of Adam's speech.
  • "FIRE on FOX40 News Binghamton," February 18, 2009: After Adam Kissel's visit to Binghamton University to speak about FIRE's recent case at BU involving Andre Massena and BU's Department of Social Work, the local FOX News affiliate ran a story on the event. 
  • "Binghamton University Continues War on Social Work Student by Other Means," December 22, 2008: After FIRE intervened in defense of Binghamton University Department of Social Work student Andre Massena, we announced that the department had backed down from its attempts to suspend or expel him because of his political activism against a professor who was also head of the Binghamton Housing Authority—activism which had embarrassed the department. It seems that the department is now trying to expel him by other means. One angry student, the pseudonymous "Lisa White," has reported that students have noticed the changes in how professors are treating and grading Massena, and that she and at least one other student are voluntarily leaving the department. Meanwhile, Massena's case has been featured by the Binghamton Review in a strong article that chronicles this outlandish case to the utter shame of the department. FIRE is taking the allegations very seriously, since the department's track record and outrageous actions against Massena to date have given us every reason to believe the allegations. We will investigate them and will back Massena strongly if we determine that the department is engaging in retaliation for his speaking out.
  • "Email from Lisa White to Binghamton Social Work Department," December 22, 2008
  • "Binghamton Review article, December 2008," December 22, 2008
  • "Victory for Freedom of Speech at Binghamton University Department of Social Work ," November 17, 2008: Binghamton University (formerly SUNY–Binghamton) has abandoned its attempt to suspend or expel a student who put up posters challenging the Department of Social Work. The department had ordered that social work master's student Andre Massena leave the program for one year with no guarantee of return, required him to apologize, and demanded that he publicly disavow his own views after his pseudonymous posters challenged the department for having hired the executive director of the Binghamton Housing Authority (BHA)—an agency Massena thought was responsible for social injustice. When Massena appealed, the department's chair added entirely new allegations and recommended his expulsion. The department dropped the charges late Friday, one day after FIRE took the case public.
  • "Email from Laura Bronstein to Andre Massena," November 14, 2008
  • "Binghamton University Department of Social Work Declares War on Student for Posters Criticizing Department and Government Agency," November 13, 2008: Binghamton University's Department of Social Work ordered the suspension of a master's student for one year with no guarantee of return, required him to apologize, and demanded that he publicly disavow his own views after he put up posters challenging the department for having hired the executive director of the Binghamton Housing Authority—an agency the student thought was responsible for social injustice. Student Andre Massena, who remains in school pending an appeal, has turned to FIRE for help. 
  • "Letter from CCPA Ethics and Integrity Committee Chair to Andre Massena," November 6, 2008
  • "More Stories from Students in the Binghamton Social Work Department," November 4, 2008
  • "Response to Allegations from Brian T. Rose," November 4, 2008
  • "Stories from Students in the Binghamton Social Work Department," October 31, 2008
  • "FIRE Letter to Binghamton University President Lois B. DeFleur," October 29, 2008
  • "New Allegations from Laura Bronstein," October 21, 2008
  • "Advancement Committee Ruling," September 17, 2008
  • "Written Plan for Andre Massena," September 2, 2008
  • ""JUSTICESPEAKS" Poster," August 25, 2008