ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The University of Central Florida has fired an associate professor who sent controversial tweets after receiving complaints about his conduct in the classroom.
Dr. Charles Negy was terminated on Friday. Last summer, he sent messages on Twitter about minorities, crime and gangs.
Several current and former students also filed complaints to the school about his behavior in the classroom.
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The UCF Office of Institutional Equity spoke with more than 300 people and reviewed hundreds of documents and many hours of audio.
“None of the findings in the investigation are a result of Dr. Negy’s comments on Twitter, which are protected as free expression, or comments in the classroom that were the subject of some students’ complaints but that the university determined were protected by academic freedom,” the school said in a news release.
The school gave Negy a two-week notice, saying it planned to terminate him.
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Negy wrote a letter fighting for his job, but the school held firm and let him go.
He was not teaching spring classes.
Read the university’s full statement below:
“We support the First Amendment rights of everyone in our campus community to freely express their opinions, even those that some find objectionable. We also value faculty members’ right to academic freedom to present subjects forthrightly and responsibly, even when those discussions involve comments that some consider offensive.
“Faculty and staff members have a responsibility to not create a discriminatory hostile environment, which violates the university’s nondiscrimination policy and code of conduct. UCF is committed to a culture of inclusive excellence, and we do not tolerate discrimination against any students or employees.”
Read Negy’s full statement here.
To my followers: Here is my response to UCF's Notice to Terminate me:https://t.co/sTBvqeoVKq
— Charles Negy (@CharlesNegy) January 24, 2021
Cox Media Group
