Professors for academic freedom lambast Laurier University for lefist 'Scholars Strike' and propagandist teaching

The Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS), a Canadian organization of university faculty members and supporters dedicated to the defence of academic freedom have issued a formal complaint to the administration of Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU).

SAFS says that the WLU administration allowed their faculty to politicize teaching in classrooms, including  subjecting students to highly partisan material that was unrelated to the course content during last weeks "Scholars Strike."

"Scholars Strike" was a two-day protest against anti-black, racist and colonial police brutality, in which faculty members across Canada and the United States sat out of class and told students to attend online public lectures about police brutality.

In the complaint letter written by SAFS President Dr. Mark Mercer, the group says the Scholars Strike, and WLU's support for the strike, harmed academic freedoms at the school.

"This principle respects the fact that public institutions are funded by taxpayers of diverse political views for the common good. The principle also makes it possible for scholars and students to research and discuss contentious issues without fear or favour. Scholars who use class time to encourage their students to engage in Scholar Strike actions, then, would be abusing their authority by enlisting students in partisan causes."

The situation was first brought up to SAFS by WLU professors (and SAFS members) David Haskell (Faculty of Liberal Arts) and William McNally (School of Business) two professors who have raised issues about classroom neutrality in the past. They were the only two professors to stick up for Lindsay Shepherd, a grad student and TA who was accused of biased ideological activity in November of 2017. An independent investigator found her innocent.