Outspoken un-PC University Administrator Fired
Had I not been in a rush yesterday when I posted on Crystal Dixon, the University of Toledo Administrator suspended for saying some politically incorrect things (and expressing some downright crazy notions), I might have learned that she has since been fired for speaking her mind.
Last Friday, she “received verbal notification from the University of Toledo that she has been fired.” Via Don Surber who asks “shouldn’t a university be open to ideas that are unpopular?” (Via Instapundit).
After expressing his views in the Toledo Free-Press, University President Lloyd Jacobs said he disagrees with “a number of those view points and . . . that some of those viewpoints don’t seem at least on the face of it consistent with the University stated values.”
Wait a minute, so the university president gets to express his views in an article, but someone who says something inconsistent with what he calls the university’s stated values loses her job? Sounds like a dictatorship to me.
I guess this university administrator doesn’t much value the free exchange of ideas. But, then again, that exchange does seem to be lacking at many American universities today.
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The problem is, she said some things that are demonstrably false. Probably wasn’t worth firing her for, but I would have liked for someone from her University to refute her statements with some actual facts.
Comment by John S. — May 13, 2008 @ 8:07 pm - May 13, 2008
It wasn’t there when I started college in the early 90′s, and I have no reason to believe that it would have returned.
My first English Composition teacher preferred to discuss politics rather than teaching us how to write. She relentlessly tortured one student who was the stereotypical racists, homophobic redneck. The guy made my skin crawl, yet I always felt sorry for him.
On the sort-of flip-side, I could bring up the computer teacher who for some reason decided to announce out of the blue on the first day of class that being gay was a choice. I quit his class the same day. Where do they find these people? Seriously?
Comment by NaturallyGay — May 13, 2008 @ 8:07 pm - May 13, 2008
well he is the university president and as such, he has the responsibility to speak for the university.
the problem is that dixon gave the impression that she was speaking for the university. that presents a problem.
Comment by a. mcewen — May 13, 2008 @ 8:08 pm - May 13, 2008
If this were an internal University issue, I’d still have a problem with her being fired, but I”d chalk it up to the lunacy of the university atmosphere.
Both articles were in the local city paper – as a private citizen she can say what she wants – talk about fascism and dictatorship! She has quite a lawsuit on her hands!!
I do not agree with Ms. Dixon’s blanket statement about gays, but I’m sure there are those that fall into that category. She probably knows some personally at her church.
Comment by Leah — May 13, 2008 @ 8:27 pm - May 13, 2008
Excuse me, but wasn’t her position supposed to be outreach to minority groups on campus? If so, I can fully understand why she was fired. You can’t attack one of the groups you are supposing to be doing outreach for. This isn’t about free speech, it’s about extremely poor job performance.
Comment by David — May 13, 2008 @ 8:29 pm - May 13, 2008
She is entitled to her opinion-wrong as it may be
Comment by LCRW — May 13, 2008 @ 9:05 pm - May 13, 2008
She sure is. Just not when she is the paid spokesperson for a company’s diversity outreach. She is now free to speak at will, and look for other employment.
Comment by David — May 13, 2008 @ 9:07 pm - May 13, 2008
And again I ask – where is the NAACP and ACLU? Or do they only represent liberal POVs?
(Crickets chirping)
What’s next? Gulags and reeducation camps? Sheesh.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — May 13, 2008 @ 10:50 pm - May 13, 2008
Both she and the university president should be canned for their hostile treatment of the English language alone:
and that was a written statement! To a newspaper for cryingn out loud.
Say what?And that man, the president of a university, is undoubtedly getting 6 figures a year!
While I don’t agree that the woman should have been dismissed for her statement (indeed she has a valid point taking offense to gays compairing their so-called “struggle” to what black America has been through), I do think the University had the right to fire her.
Also, I think it essential that colleges and universities retain the ability to fire employees for their statements and conduct. Remember Ward Churchill? Funny how much more difficult it was to get rid of him.
Comment by American Elephant — May 13, 2008 @ 11:30 pm - May 13, 2008
Wow, this is amazing. A women expresses a personal opinion that the PC police don’t like. She does so as a private citizen, in a public forum that is not related to her job.
For all we know she is excellent at her job and never has said anything like this while at work.
But because she dared speak her mind, she deserves to be fired???
What did I miss about freedom of speech?
Comment by Leah — May 13, 2008 @ 11:47 pm - May 13, 2008
Wasn’t he fired for misrepresenting his credentials and plaigerism?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — May 14, 2008 @ 12:55 am - May 14, 2008
To me it seems pretty logical. Let people with differing opinions speak, so that we can have a real open discussions. How can we deal with the real questions people have if we continue to shut them up? You can’t just tell a certain group of people their opinion is wrong and expect them to just accept that. This woman is not alone in this opinion. And by shutting her up, those that agree with her will assume that her opinion has validity or no one would be afraid of it. Dost thou protest too much – or however the quote goes – that’s what many might think.
By the way, this is my first time at your blog, and I have got to give you credit. It takes a lot of guts to come out as a gay conservative.
Comment by Toni — May 14, 2008 @ 1:34 am - May 14, 2008
John S. in #1, you hit the nail on the head. Not worth firing, but the university should have issued a simple statement saying her ideas do not represent university policy.
And a. mcwen in #3, I don’t think she gave the impression that she was working for the university.
David, I would agree with your comment in #7 if she had been working for a private company. Since you seem to agree it was right to fire her because of her social viewpoints, do you then believe private companies should be able to hire and fire whomever they please.
As to your comment in #5, do you have information which would back up your comment that her job was outreach to campus minority groups and evidence that she didn’t reach out to gay groups on campus.
Since this is a public university, the issue is whether she did her job.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — May 14, 2008 @ 1:36 am - May 14, 2008
Oh sure! You can “dissent” as long as it’s vetted and approved by party Komisars at the university. You can have a “differing opinion” as long as the liberal left likes it. I’d bet anything she was fired more for her religious position than anything else. If she were a Muslim, I’d bet a year’s pay she would have been promoted.
There’s not much liberals fear more than religion.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — May 14, 2008 @ 5:03 am - May 14, 2008
TGC,
Yeah, Churchill was fired for plagiarism and lying on his resume I believe.
And, to me, thats a huge problem when a university can’t fire a professor with insane views because of some wrongheaded belief that the first amendment gives teachers the “right” to say whatever they want.
HUGE problem. The first amendment doesn’t extend to the point that it interferes with your job performance — be it the private or public sector.
Comment by American Elephant — May 14, 2008 @ 6:55 am - May 14, 2008
Leah at 10:
That won’t keep you from being fired. If you make public remarks, or engage in public behavior, that brings your character into question or that reflects poorly on your employer, you’re likely to be fired.
Let’s say a hospital learns that one of its pediatric nurses is working a second job as a prostitute. The nurse stands a good chance of being fired.
Depending on the nature of your work, your employer has a legtitimate interest in your off-site conduct.
Comment by Paul — May 14, 2008 @ 12:37 pm - May 14, 2008
Paul, I don’t think you analogy works very well.
Her remarks were pretty loony, but the question is whether she’s doing here job. And the issue here is that she’s working for a public institution, not a private one. And public institutions must needs establish different standards.
Were she working for a private university, the issue would be different altogether.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — May 14, 2008 @ 12:44 pm - May 14, 2008
GPW at 17:
Depending on the position you hold, your off-site behavior bears on the question of whether you’re doing your job. As an HR manager, for example, it is your job to not publicly shame your employer, even on your own time.
The First Amendment rights of public employees are not absolute; indeed, our law permits public employees to be fired even for work-related comments. See Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006).
Comment by Paul — May 14, 2008 @ 12:58 pm - May 14, 2008
Pauls at #18, If it could be showed that her comments impacted her work, then I could support the decision to dismiss her. I can also see situations, particularly in the national security arena where one’s comments could compromise one’s ability to do one’s job. That to me is the issue here. It’s also why I prefer the private sector and not enacting laws which prevent them for electing employment policies which they believe best fit the circumstances of their enterprise.
Let them decide what’s in their best interest. I believe public institutions shouldn’t discriminate based on political viewpoint, sexual orientation or other group identification.
So, given your views, I trust you share my opposition for ENDA?
Comment by GayPatriotWest — May 14, 2008 @ 2:16 pm - May 14, 2008
The above is taken from the Toledo Free Press website and is a statement made by a “Univeristy of Toledo spokesman.”
We do not know what University policies and procedure Dixon violated. There could be a slam-dunk case for her firing there. However, she was offered a demotion and pay cut, which she refused and she was subsequently fired. Therefore, I suspect the University does not have a slam-dunk case related to policies and procedures.
“Institutional core values” is the arena of Jello wrestling and touchy-feely bruised egos. As nearly as I can tell from her column, she is being fired for saying that homosexual actions are not a civil right and that homosexuals can choose not to engage in homosexual actions.
It will be interesting to see how those views contradict “institutional core values.” Would that not, in effect, mean that the University of Toledo considers homosexual activity to have the protection of a civil right and that homosexual actions are an unrestrained compulsion not able to be modified or restrained by choice or free will?
The fact that Dixon was paid nearly $135,000 per year to administer issues revolving around human relations does not mean that her views caused her to handle issues with homosexuals in a biased or unfair manner. That would have to be proven by a sufficient weight of evidence.
Dixon was fired for holding unpopular views that were deemed by the University to be damaging to their mission. The UT spokesman, Mr. Burn, says her views could call her ability to lead into question.
Job effectiveness is always a grounds for dismissal or reassignment. But it usually requires documentation and evidence beyond an instance of expressing an unpopular view point. It would appear that the University of Toledo has acted in a capricious manner.
Ms. Dixon will probably sue and, I suspect, win a fairly sizable payoff to go away. She will not find it particularly difficult to find a similar position elsewhere, unless there is more lurking in this matter than we have seen.
Comment by heliotrope — May 14, 2008 @ 4:40 pm - May 14, 2008
Dan GPW, you and several others responded May 13 to comments I made in response to your May 13 post on this subject. I responded today to your responses at that post (it was the second on the subject) and call your attention to my response since you might not be checking the post today.
Comment by Trace Phelps — May 14, 2008 @ 5:29 pm - May 14, 2008
GPW at 19:
I do indeed.
Comment by Paul — May 14, 2008 @ 5:31 pm - May 14, 2008
I think you hit on it, heliotrope; as I mentioned to you elsewhere, liberal gays and lesbians consider ANY restriction whatsoever on their sexual activity to be against their “civil rights”.
Again, prime example: Bonnie Bleskachek, who demanded sex from her subordinates, retaliated against those who refused, discriminated against those who she wasn’t interested in sexually, and, when caught, blamed the whole thing on “homophobia and sexism” — that is, she was only being investigated because she was a lesbian and female.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — May 14, 2008 @ 7:31 pm - May 14, 2008
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