Several members of the Faculty Senate expressed concerns regarding Northwestern’s investigation into Medill Prof. Steven Thrasher at this year’s first formal Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday.
During the “New Business” portion of the meeting, during which senators can raise concerns, several Senate members brought up their colleague, Thrasher, who is currently being investigated by NU and had his Fall Quarter classes canceled after his involvement in the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow last spring.
Medill Prof. Kalyani Chadha, who is slated to lecture about objectivity in her journalism classes within the next few weeks, said she is concerned about what guidelines she must follow while teaching class in accordance with University policies.
“People take different positions, and that’s fine, but to say that you take a certain position and that’s problematic, I think is still chilling in some ways,” Chadha said.
History Prof. Susan Pearson calls Thrasher’s situation “dystopian” and “concerning.”
“He’s in a procedural no man’s land,” Pearson said. “He literally cannot appeal to anyone. There is no standard in the world in which that is just or fair to be punished, without being officially punished so that you cannot access the appeals that you have a right to.”
A few senators also discussed holding a vote in the future to determine whether the Faculty Senate would release a statement, making clear their opinion on the investigation into Thrasher.
Besides Thomson, new Faculty Senate President and McCormick Prof. Jill Wilson suggested that the issue be brought up to the Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Committee.
“One of the things I’m hearing in the conversation is that there are substantial concerns about the removal of teaching assignments,” Wilson said.
The Senate also discussed changes to both the student and faculty handbooks and ratified standing committee chairs.
Vice President of Student Affairs Susan Davis and Dean of Students Mona Dugo discussed updates to the student handbook, specifically relating to new display policies and the new Intimidation Standard.
“We’re really trying to develop something that has more plain meaning and applicability for students,” Davis said.
In the handbook, several of the original standards were also adapted, including the Demonstration Policy, Destruction of Property Standard, Failure to Comply Standard and Policy on Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.
Dugo said the team of administrators was careful to craft policies based on events that had taken place at NU, not at similar institutions.
“As the spring happened and our world kind of changed, we could see that it wasn’t just us, it was all institutions,” Dugo said. “We’re looking at the policies to see where we had some gaps in what we were managing.”
Wilson shared her president’s report, during which she discussed an update to professor benefits after a new Cook County ordinance, which passed December 2023. The ordinance requires faculty who don’t accrue paid time off to be adequately compensated after separating from their company.
Wilson announced that a salary study for non-tenure eligible faculty would be sent out later this fall, and a faculty forum on campus speech policies will take place Nov. 1.
Wilson also addressed the sections of the Faculty Handbook on faculty discipline. During this discussion, Wilson reviewed faculty disciplinary processes and the appeals process.
“One question I think that we could ask ourselves is, ‘Is this the way we think it should be? Is there a better way?’ I think that’s something that is on us as faculty to think about,” said former Faculty Senate President and chemistry Prof. Regan Thomson.
The next Faculty Senate meeting will take place Nov. 13.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— NU Medill investigates Prof. Steven Thrasher, cancels his classes
— Q&A: New Faculty Senate President talks plans for upcoming year
— After informal launch meeting, Faculty Senate prepares to tackle old and new issues
