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***UPDATE: Iowa State released the following statement:
“Iowa State University condemns racism of any kind as being abhorrent and inconsistent with the university’s Principles of Community and the values we expect on our campus. The university fully embraces its role as a First Amendment campus and is deeply committed to constitutional protections of free expression. When speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern, a public employee’s speech is protected by the First Amendment and employees cannot be disciplined by the university for exercising their First Amendment rights. Employees are, however, subject to discipline if they commit acts of discrimination against students or their fellow employees in their role as an employee.”

On Sunday we told you about Iowa State professor Rita Mookerjee. Ms. Mookerjee is a member of faculty within ISU’s Women’s and Gender Studies program.

Mookerjee has quite the social media footprint, especially on Twitter. In fact, she credited her views expressed on Twitter as to what played a role in getting her her job.

“Fellow profs, speak out and speak loudly,” she tweeted on Oct. 2, 2020.

And we detailed what some of her views expressed on Twitter are. And they are extremely divisive and openly racist.

Exhibit A:

“Lately, I try to limit my interactions with yt people as much as possible. I can’t with the self-importance and performance esp during Black History Month.” (Feb. 12, 2021)

“Whyte women will do anything to invent their oppression. This is some Scooby Doo villain shit. #whitenonsense” (Aug. 3, 2020)

“Y’all. Whyte women are really out here gaslit by simps, colonizing BIPOC spaces, and playing the victim when they get called out. Lemme get a goblet for all the white tears.” (Aug. 16, 2020)

“Whyte people need to stfu, and go read. Google is free.” (Sept. 21, 2020)

Many of the objectionable tweets from Ms. Mookerjee are available here. While she has locked down her Twitter profile, the screenshots of her tweets will last forever.

The Iowa Standard emailed Iowa State officials on Sunday afternoon asking if the tweets are acceptable to the university and whether there would be any discipline for anything Ms. Mookerjee said. We asked if professors are allowed to talk about “black people” in the same way Ms. Mookerjee talks about “whyte people.”

Those questions were sent to:

Dr. Ann Oberhauser, Director of Women’s and Gender Studies and Professor of Sociology at Iowa State University: [email protected]

Wendy Wintersteen, President of Iowa State University: [email protected]

Jonathan Wickert, Senior Vice President and Provost: [email protected]

Toyia Younger, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs: [email protected]

So far we have not received any response from anyone affiliated with Iowa State University.

Author: Jacob Hall

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