Iowa State Professor Threatens To Dismiss Any Student Who Argues Against BLM or Abortion
A professor at Iowa State University told her students they would be dismissed for sharing conservative views.
On her syllabus, Professor Chloe Clark warned that any student arguing against gay marriage, abortion or the Black Lives Matter movement would immediately be dismissed from her classroom.
A whistleblower sent a screenshot of Clark’s syllabus to the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), which then published it on Monday.
According to YAF, the whistleblower wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.
Clark, an English professor at ISU, which is based in Ames, wrote the syllabus for her English 250 class, which is meant to teach students “written, oral, visual, and electronic composition,” according to the university.
“GIANT WARNING: any instances of othering that you participate in intentionally (racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, sorophobia, transphobia, classism, mocking of mental health issues, body shaming, etc) in class are grounds for dismissal from the classroom,” Clark’s syllabus read.
“The same goes for any papers/projects: you cannot choose any topic that takes at its base that one side doesn’t deserve the same basic human rights as you do (ie: no arguments against gay marriage, abortion, Black Lives Matter, etc). I take this seriously.”
The College Republicans at Iowa State, a campus group, told The Western Journal that political censorship of this nature is “all too prominent” in professors on campus.”
“It’s very sad to see this censorship happening on our campus. We do believe that if YAF had not published this article she would not be punished, which is sad,” the College Republicans group told The Western Journal.
“This sort of censoring thought is all too prominent in campus professors.”
Officials at Iowa State also responded to the situation by denouncing Clark’s actions. The university further clarified that the syllabus had been revised for more political inclusiveness.
“The syllabus statement as written was inconsistent with the university’s standards and its commitment to the First Amendment rights of students. After reviewing this issue with the faculty member, the syllabus has been corrected to ensure it is consistent with university policy,” the university said in a statement to the Young America’s Foundation.
“Moreover, the faculty member is being provided additional information regarding the First Amendment policies of the university.”
The statement said Iowa State is pro-First Amendment and is fully opposed to punishing students for having a different point of view.
“Iowa State is firmly committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of its students, faculty, and staff,” the university stated.
“With respect to student expression in the classroom, including the completion of assignments, the university does not take disciplinary action against students based on the content or viewpoints expressed in their speech.”
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