Two state schools — Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa — have had to suspend professors for violating university policy and directives from the Board of Regents.
Why?
Because these professors have either threatened retaliation for students unwilling to wear a mask and/or be vaccinated or told students their grades would be lowered if they refused to wear a mask.
Iowa State relieved Thomas Leslie from instructional duties for the remainder of the fall semester. He also will be reviewing appropriate university policies and undergo additional training.
Not to be outdone, UNI professor Steve O’Kane Jr. said publicly he would lower the grades of students who refused to wear a mask.
He, too, is suspended from in-class teaching the rest of the semester, will undergo additional training and will not be eligible for merit pay.
O’Kane has been defiant even in the face of consequences. If he’s allowed back in the classroom in the spring, he already said he will institute a mask mandate once again.
Both professors knew what the rules were and both defied them — publicly. This means whatever potential consequence they would face, they did not fear.
Why?
Perhaps they’re tenured. Perhaps this is one more reason the Iowa legislature should move forward with efforts to abolish tenure in the state of Iowa.
Perhaps they simply do not believe the rules apply to them. Who can blame them? We’ve seen Democrat after Democrat after Democrat institute some sort of social restriction during COVID only to be caught breaking it themselves.
Or perhaps in the world of academia, few things matter more than pushing the agenda of the political Left.
Imagine, for a moment, if a conservative professor (I know, I probably lost a few readers by asking them to imagine a conservative professor) outlawed masks in their classroom. What would the reaction be? Would they be employed for long?
Essentially, it’s the same crime — just the other extreme.
These are just two more examples of how Leftists have run amok in academia and the rules simply do not apply to them.
