Mon Sep 30 00:45:50 UTC 2024: ## Penn Law Professor Suspended for Racist Remarks, But Keeps Tenure
PHILADELPHIA – Amy Wax, a tenured professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, has been suspended for one year at half-pay and subjected to other sanctions following a faculty hearing board investigation. The decision comes after years of public controversy surrounding Wax’s comments on race, ethnicity, and immigration.
The board found Wax guilty of “flagrant unprofessional conduct,” citing her “history of making sweeping and derogatory generalizations about groups by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status.” The board also accused Wax of making discriminatory statements, including discussing student grades by race and targeting specific racial and ethnic groups.
Wax has been a vocal critic of affirmative action and immigration policies, arguing that the country would be better off with less Asian immigration and questioning the academic performance of Black students. She also invited a white nationalist speaker to her class.
While suspended, Wax will lose her named chair and summer pay in perpetuity and will be required to state publicly that her views are her own, not those of the university or law school. However, the university has not fired her or stripped her of tenure.
Wax has defended her comments, claiming they are merely “standard-issue, conservative anti-‘woke’ opinions and factual observations” that are not allowed on campus. She intends to remain at Penn as a “conservative presence on campus.”
The university maintains that while academic freedom is important, professors must ensure a fair and equitable learning environment for all students. Provost John L. Jackson Jr. said that Wax’s conduct has left many students “understandably concerned” about her impartiality.
The suspension is set to begin in the 2025-2026 academic year. This case highlights the ongoing debate around free speech and academic freedom on college campuses, particularly in the context of controversial viewpoints on race and identity.
First Piper 