Cindy Swirko, Danielle Ivanov, Gainesville Sun, 12-3-21
Just when the University of Florida academic freedom fire cooled a bit, Board of Trustees Chairman Morteza “Mori” Hosseini splashed some fuel on it Friday. Hosseini at Friday’s meeting read a statement blaming faculty for the policy used to prohibit three political science professors from testifying in a voting rights lawsuit against the state, praising state legislators for the money provided to UF and citing the media for “incomplete” reporting of the story.
“We saw that some (faculty) have taken advantage of their positions. I am speaking here of faculty members taking second jobs using the university’s state resources for their own personal gain. I am speaking about faculty members who use their positions of authority to improperly advocate personal political viewpoints to the exclusion of others,” Hosseini said.
Hosseini added, “To this I say — enough. This behavior is unacceptable. It is disrespectful not only to the taxpayers of Florida, whose hard-earned dollars pay faculty salaries, but it is also disrespectful to these faculty members’ hard-working colleagues — the ones who are doing their jobs honestly and fulfilling their missions.”
When Hosseini was done, other trustees thanked him.
UF Professor Paul Ortiz, the president of the faculty union, responded sharply in an email to the Gainesville Sun.
"This statement is an insult to the faculty who, under great duress, have guided the institution through the most challenging crisis in its history during the global pandemic. We expect an immediate apology," Ortiz said. "The statement was written by an individual or individuals who do not understand the role of intellectual freedom in a democratic society. The United Faculty of Florida is dedicated to creating a university that works in the interests of the entire public and not just the whims of the Thought Police in Tallahassee." ...
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