Southern Utah University Students Rally to Re-Hire Fired Professor

Summary

Students at Southern Utah University (SUU) have rallied in support of a fired professor. Professor Scott Senjo was fired on June 2nd following a dispute with the administration regarding his views on intellectual diversity and free speech on campus.


The SUU Student Association (SSA) organized a rally to support the professor, bringing together over 500 students to speak out against what they viewed as the university's censorship of freedom of expression. The students chanted “We stand with Senjo” and called for the President of SUU, Scott Wyatt, to resign.

The rally was spurred by the firing of Professor Senjo. He had expressed his beliefs about intellectual diversity on campus and had posted documents to his social media which he believed would promote an open dialogue about free speech. Joshua Daniels, Chair of the SSA, expressed his sympathy for the professor, saying “We all understand the importance of intellectual diversity and the need for open dialogue and free expression on campus”.

The rally had a lasting effect on the university's administration. President Wyatt, who had drawn much ire from the students, agreed to meet with members of the SSA to discuss their concerns. He acknowledged, in a later statement, that the university should always strive to create an environment where intellectual diversity is encouraged and protected.

Furthermore, the university has made changes to their policies, allowing students more access to elective classes, which are taught by professors and not university-provided lecturers. Additionally, they made changes to their media policy, allowing faculty and students to express their views without fear of censorship.

The SUU Student Association has expressed satisfaction with these changes and is hopeful that the university will continue to remain open to a variety of intellectual ideologies and opinions.

At Southern Utah University (SUU), students organized a rally in support of a fired professor, Scott Senjo. The rally, which was attended by 500 students, was spurred by Senjo's dispute with the university administration over his views on intellectual diversity and free speech on campus. The students chanted "We stand with Senjo" and called for the President of SUU, Scott Wyatt, to resign. In response, President Wyatt agreed to meet with the SUU Student Association (SSA) to discuss their concerns and later acknowledged the need for an environment that encourages and protects intellectual diversity. As a result of the rally, the university made changes to their policies, allowing students more access to elective classes, as well as changing their media policy to ensure faculty and students can express their views without fear of censorship. The SSA is hopeful that the university will remain open to a variety of intellectual ideologies and opinions.
 

SUU Faculty Member Fired for Comments at Student Senate Meeting

A faculty member at Southern Utah University (SUU) was recently fired from his position after making comments at a student senate meeting that some deemed inappropriate and unprofessional. Professor Cooper Hutchings, who had served at SUU for over 10 years, allegedly made a comment about “starving people” and other remarks that were seen as offensive. In the wake of his firing, students at the university have held protest rallies to show their support for Hutchings.
 

Students Gather to Protest Hutchings' Dismissal

A group of SUU students held a peaceful demonstration on campus in protest of the decision to fire Hutchings. The rally was attended by more than 200 students, who gathered in a public area on campus and held signs that read “#IStandWithCoop” and “#RallyForCooper." The rally was an expression of solidarity with Hutchings and a protest against SUU's decision to terminate him.
 

Students Demand Explanation From SUU Administration

During the rally, the students demanded an explanation from the SUU administration for their decision to fire Professor Hutchings. The students also called for a “fair and transparent process for grievances” and for Hutchings to be given a chance to explain his side of the story. In addition, some of the student demonstrators called for an investigation into the administration's handling of the situation and an end to any further retaliation against Hutchings.
 

SUU Administration Responds to Student Protest

In response to the student protest, SUU issued a statement saying that it could not comment on the specifics of Hutchings' dismissal due to legal constraints. However, the university did say that it is committed to protecting the rights of its faculty and staff and to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. The statement also said that SUU is committed to hearing out staff and faculty grievances as part of its commitment to providing a professional, respectful and safe environment for all.

Political science professor Stephen Roberds worked at the Cedar City campus for six years, and was undergoing peer review for tenure, when he reportedly used the f-word during a heated classroom discussion with a student about a Supreme Court ruling.

Roberds quickly apologized to the student and class.

Last week, the school essentially fired Roberds by refusing to renew his contract and denying him tenure, insisting that a pattern of problems _ not a single episode _ led to the action.

Roberds quickly fired back, accusing school administrators in a statement Thursday of creating a climate of fear for faculty members. And in a written statement, Roberds said faculty members have been ''called on the carpet because of books and readings'' they assign for their classes.

''As long as you fit in, you're fine. But if you are outside the box, they are very quick to intimidate you,'' he wrote.

Some students suggested that school officials used the incident as a way to deny Roberds tenure, and now some of them have created a Web site to vent their frustrations.

The Web site has a forum, links to articles on Roberds' termination and graphic drawings, including one that depicts the SUU administration holding the head of Roberds with text declaring, ''We got him boys.''

''I initiated the creation of the Web site because I knew a lot of students who felt the same outrage that I did when Professor Roberds was fired,'' Cassandra Cook said. ''There needed to be some way to organize ourselves, and to make something happen, and I knew that the Internet is one of the best mediums to get people together and share information.''

Without offering much detail, school officials say Roberds' firing had nothing to do with the f-word incident.

''It was based on careful examination of his six-year career and what has gone on during that time,'' said, Dean O'Driscoll, assistant to the president at the school. He did not elaborate, saying university officials are bound by policy not to comment on personnel matters.

''I feel the students are only being fair in representing what their opinions are, and so it is difficult to rebuke opinions,'' he said.

Ironically, Roberds was named the 2003-04 Professor of the Year. Two weeks ago, he gave the university's Grace A. Tanner Distinguished Faculty Lecture.

Roberds said reasons for the termination and for not getting tenure changed every day since the Oct. 12 classroom episode.

''Every time I heard of one thing and tried to address it, they would throw in something new,'' Roberds wrote. He accused SUU officials of ''making up the rules as they go along.''

SUU Faculty Senate President David Rees said Roberds' use of the f-word was not the basis for the firing but ''just a continuation of history.'' Stifling students' opinions that were different from his own by name calling and using an intimidating, loud voice were also factors, Rees said.

''Last spring, the students organized a demonstration to support traditional marriage and Professor Roberds showed up, and it's all captured on video tape, and ridiculed the purpose of the demonstration and began ranting at a student and calling the student names,'' Rees said.

Roberds doesn't dispute the incident, saying he called the student a ''racist Nazi bigot.'' The demonstration was a mock wedding of two males, but was originally going to be between a man and a dog, Roberds said.

''I have as much right to freedom of speech as they did in their demonstration,'' Roberds said. ''I found the demonstration offensive and hurtful to students on campus who are gay and lesbian.''

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