UPDATE: July 17 at 11 p.m.
The University of Kentucky has removed an employee from teaching responsibilities after the creation of an online petition that university officials say could be interpreted as antisemitic.
UK President Eli Capilouto announced the decision in a letter to the campus community Friday afternoon, stating that the university condemns calls for violence.
The letter goes on to say, "We have been made aware of allegations of disturbing conduct, including an online petition calling for the destruction of a people based on national origin," Capilouto wrote.
"We condemn any call for violence and the views expressed online certainly do not represent the institution's views," Capilouto continues. "They express hate. While someone in his or her personal capacity may be free to express themselves, the university is also free to make clear that the individual's personal views are not those of our community."
Though the university did not identify the employee in its letter, the Kentucky Jewish Council has identified him as UK Rosenberg College of Law professor Ramsi Woodcock.
The university cited Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 as cause for concern that the employee's actions could have created a hostile environment on campus.
Woodcock runs a website called the "Antizionist Legal Studies Movement," which includes a petition, entitled "Petition for Military Action Against Israel."
Another post on a website entitled "What Am I Missing?" echoes similar sentiments.
Rabbi Schlomo Litvin of Chabad of the Bluegrass says Woodcock's statements go beyond academic discourse and diversity of thought.
"This has to be taken seriously -- and it has to be taken seriously in relation to his record," Litvin said.
According to Litvin, students from the Rosenberg Law School approached him with concerns about the professor.
"Students came to me, almost immediately, students in the Rosenberg Law School, which is named for a prominent Jewish alumnus, to say 'this is a professor that's saying things online.' I'm afraid to say what I feel in his class. I'm afraid to wear any sign that identifies me as Jewish," Litvin said.
The Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus also responded to the situation in a statement.
"The reports coming out of our taxpayer-funded flagship university are incredibly disturbing. A law professor calling for the destruction of Israel and against the right for the Jewish people to have self-determination is not a policy disagreement, but a call to violence. That is not academic discourse. It's antisemitism and racism and abuse of his power, plain and simple," the caucus stated.
LEX18 spoke with Woodcock, who emphasized he was not speaking on behalf of the university. He said the letter released Friday evening was without his prior knowledge. He doubled down on the views expressed on his website and said he wasn't aware of any students who knew of his writing as he teaches Business Law.
Woodcock also denied calling for the destruction of Jewish people in the petition:
"The letter accuses me of wanting to destroy the Jewish people. That's defamatory. It creates a hostile environment for me, and it potentially places me in physical danger," said Woodcock.
Woodcock expressed concern about how the university handled the situation.
"They cannot defend Israel on its own terms. So instead, they defame people who stand against the injustice that is Israel. And I am just so sorry, so sad, that the president of my university, whose job is to protect his faculty members against smears of this kind, would instead parrot it and direct it towards me by accusing me of what he accused me of. That is a very grave abnegation of his responsibility as a university president and it makes me unsafe," Woodcock said.
The school has initiated a review by outside legal counsel and requested accelerated findings.
Original Story:
The University of Kentucky has removed an employee from teaching responsibilities following allegations of "disturbing conduct, including an online petition calling for the destruction of a people based on national origin," according to a message to the community by University President Eli Capilouto.
Capilouto announced the decision in a campus-wide email on Friday, describing the petition as one that could "be interpreted as antisemitic in accordance with state and federal guidance."
"We condemn any call for violence and the views expressed online certainly do not represent the institution's views. They express hate," Capilouto said. "Let me be clear: the views expressed by this employee, if accurately attributed, are repugnant."
According to the message, the university is taking the following actions in response to the incident:
- Independent Legal Review: UK has engaged with outside legal counsel to provide a neutral, third-party review and recommendation as to whether this employee’s conduct may violate federal and state guidance as well as university policies. Conduct and speech that constitutes harassment or creates a hostile environment as defined by the Supreme Court of the United States is not protected. The employee has been notified of the investigation.
- Accelerated findings: That outside counsel will work with the appropriate units on campus to quickly review these issues, make findings and provide recommendations.
- Updated Web Policy: The institution has made sure that the petition in question is not found or hosted on any university-based sites or applications. The institution also is adopting a campus-wide policy to bar linking from university resources, such as websites, to personal websites or platforms. You can read the details of that policy here.
- Protection from Retaliation: Of course, the university prohibits retaliation and will take steps to address the physical safety of and any potential retaliation against the employee and any other person participating in the investigation.
The university has also ensured the petition is not hosted on any university-based sites and is adopting a campus-wide policy barring links from university resources to personal websites or platforms, the message from Capilouto adds.
Capilouto emphasized that while the university protects academic freedom and the exchange of ideas, it must also foster a community where everyone feels safe. "When those values are in tension with each other, we are resolved and resolute about working quickly and thoughtfully to seek answers that protect our people while honoring our mission to advance this state in all that we do," he said.
The message states that the employee has been removed from all teaching and classroom duties pending an investigation.
