In March 2022, a committee at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), found that ecologist Priyanga Amarasekare had breached the faculty code of conduct, most notably by violating confidentiality and procedural rules when criticizing her colleagues and department policies, according to documents obtained by Nature. The committee recommended she be given a letter of censure and five years of probation. UCLA chancellor Gene Block instead issued much harsher penalties, including a one-year, unpaid suspension that effectively stranded her research projects and cut off communication with her students.
The documents received by Nature — including the letter of censure — contain no accusations of academic misconduct or illegal behaviour, and instead focus on personnel and procedural issues. “Priyanga is not a warm, fuzzy person, and she does not suffer fools,” but that is not a crime, says a long-time UCLA faculty member who declined to be named out of fear of retaliation. Like many institutions, UCLA has been promoting its efforts to increase equity and diversity, and Amarasekare “is being sacrificed because she’s upsetting that picture,” the faculty member says...
In a statement, however, the university raised questions about one of the documents obtained by Nature, a report from the hearing committee that was redacted to remove specific names, allegations and testimonies. The unauthorized release of such a report “risks presenting an incomplete and misleading characterization of proceedings and infringing on the confidentiality of witnesses,” the statement says. The university also says it supports freedom of expression and does not condone retaliation of any sort. Amarasekare declined to comment...
Full story at https://www.nature.com/
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We have no special insight into this matter and no information beyond what has appeared in news reports. But given the strong external support for the individual in question, and given the fact that she seems now to be strictly avoiding making public statement (something a lawyer would likely advise), this affair seems to be a case that is ripe for external litigation. The court system, however, may not be the best forum for reaching a settlement. Issues such as maintaining "the confidentiality of witnesses" may not be seen to be as important in a court setting as they are in academia. Outcomes of court decisions can be unpredictable, embarrassing, and potentially costly. Sometimes the parties involved in complicated disputes need to rise above their cherished principles in order to avoid court determination.
Years ago, Prof. Warren Schmidt, who taught at both UCLA and USC, wrote an essay in the LA Times which in turn was developed into an Academy Award-winning cartoon of 1970, "Is It Always Right to Be Right?" Although the film refers to conflicts that were raging back then, yours truly suggests it is worth considering now and in this matter:
Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbWCjQ5L0ZY.
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*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2023/01/its-hard-to-keep-lid-on-part-2.html; https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2023/01/its-hard-to-keep-lid-on.html.
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