Letter from American Political Science Association (APSA) to President Schlissel and Provost Phibert

Identifier

ar_006

Title

Letter from American Political Science Association (APSA) to President Schlissel and Provost Phibert

Description

Letter to President Schlissel and Provost Philbert regarding Professor John Cheney-Lippold's decision to decline writing a recommendation letter for an undergraduate student.

Creator

Rogers Smith

Paula McClain

Kathleen Thelen

Steven Smith

Subject

Arab Americans -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor

Arab-Israeli conflict

Islam

Islamophobia -- Michigan

Islamophobia -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor

Middle Eastern students -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor

Student organizations -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor

University of Michigan -- Faculty

University of Michigan -- Students

Source

https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/149382

Publisher

Islamophobia Working Group (University of Michigan)

Spatial Coverage

University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor

Washington D.C.

Date

2018-10-15

Type

Text

Format

text/PDF 528 kB

Rights

This content may be under copyright. Researchers are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

Rights Holder

Copyright is held by the Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

Language

Eng

Provenance

Letter originally written by American Political Science Association. Letter was later saved (without alteration) by the Islamophobia Working Group (University of Michigan) on 2019-01-28 to be compiled with a larger collection on letters in support of Professor John Cheney-Lippold.

Bibliographic Citation

[item], https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/149377, Islamophobia Working Group (University of Michigan) records, Bentley Historical Library,
University of Michigan

extracted text

October 15, 2018
Mark S. Schlissel, President
Martin A. Philbert, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
2074 Fleming Administration Building
503 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1340
Dear President Schlissel and Provost Philbert,
We write today in our capacity as leaders of the American Political Science Association (APSA), a non-partisan
scholarly association, representing more than 12,000 professors and students of political science worldwide,
regarding the recent decision of a political science instructor to decline writing a recommendation letter for an
undergraduate student due to the instructor’s support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
We strongly share the university’s commitment to maintaining equitable and inclusive environments on campus,
and we urge you to prioritize the principles of academic freedom as you clarify policies regarding instructors’
expression of political thought and their responsibilities to students.
At most of the institutions where APSA members work, faculty members and instructors have some discretion
regarding letters of recommendation. Although it is rare to have precise guidelines, faculty are usually expected
to make reasonable efforts to assist students. The University of Michigan appears typical in this regard, and we
support the university’s efforts to provide more fully developed guidelines.
However, the university’s strong statements and actions in the preceding weeks regarding a separate faculty
member’s similar decision raises serious concerns. Statements prior to this Fall did not specify that instructors
would be sanctioned for supporting the BDS movement, or that sanctions could be exercised for declining to
write letters of recommendation. Although the university certainly may expect that instructors will make
reasonable efforts to aid students, strong sanctions without clear prior notice raise questions of procedural
fairness. That the instructor we are concerned about is, in this case, also an early career graduate student only
heightens our concerns that outsize sanctions may be imposed on one who could reasonably argue that the
vague, unspecified, and changing norms regarding writing letters of recommendation were not adequately
conveyed in advance. They also give at least the appearance of pressuring instructors to conform to the
university’s position on what the university has itself termed not only an issue of university values but also a
matter of political belief. Imposition of an institution’s political beliefs on its instructors undermines the core
principles of academic freedom.
We believe the University of Michigan in fact shares with APSA a strong commitment to academic freedom. APSA
strongly encourages the university to act with restraint as it initiates a commendable effort to clarify its policies
in this regard.

Sincerely,

Rogers M. Smith, President

Paula D. McClain, President-Elect

Kathleen Thelen, Past-President

Steven Rathgeb Smith, Executive Director