Q&A
Handling of off-topic discussions in classrooms
2:06:50
·
135 sec
Council Member Dinowitz inquires about professors discussing topics unrelated to their subject area, such as a math professor talking about Zionism. Chancellor Rodriguez explains the process for addressing such situations.
- Faculty are expected to teach within their expertise and syllabus.
- Complaints about off-topic discussions need to be reported and investigated.
- The response depends on the frequency and severity of the incidents.
- CUNY is working on providing faculty with tools for constructive dialogue on sensitive topics.
Eric Dinowitz
2:06:50
So what happens when a professor, adjunct or full time professor, a math professor engages in that sort of behavior, begins talking about Zionism, anti Zionism, and brings in speakers about those topics?
2:07:04
I I would think that's clearly outside of the purview of a mathematics professor.
2:07:09
And what I'm hearing you say is it is not within their sort of free speech guidelines.
2:07:14
Is that
Felix Matos Rodriguez
2:07:15
Again, they they they have academic freedom where they're taught when they are teaching their class, which is their expertise based on, on on on the syllabi.
Eric Dinowitz
2:07:25
So if it veers from the syllabi from the syllabus to to a degree that it's totally outside of their subject area, What happens then?
2:07:33
What recourse does a student have, and what steps does CUNY take to either, you know, room remind that professor of what their professional responsibilities are to our students, and what recourse do they have to discipline faculty who are in repeated violation of that?
Felix Matos Rodriguez
2:07:50
So, again, well, clearly, you know, somebody in that class will have to sort of file a report, and you will have to go through an investigation to validate whether that is accurate, or not.
2:08:01
Right?
2:08:02
And and and that is the first, course of of of due process.
2:08:07
If it is indeed found, it would depend also on on the circumstances.
2:08:12
Right?
2:08:12
If it's something that just happened once and you talk to the faculty member, you provide them guidance, and it doesn't happen again?
2:08:19
I mean, that is one example.
2:08:20
If it's something that is ongoing behavior, then, you're allowed to, discipline that faculty member in accordance to the collective bargaining, agreement.
2:08:31
One of the things that and this is why we began also, working with this constructive dialogue, engagements that we heard from faculty, that they wanted better tools to be able to, talk about, different things as they come up in the classroom.
2:08:46
Right?
2:08:47
And they might come up in different disciplines because students might feel they need to talk about some of those things.
2:08:53
You know, what is the proper way for them to channel, those conversations and to give them tools to be able to, engage in a constructive way, that helps, you know, people have more understanding.
