Dr. Eric B. RasmusenDespite using his social media account to express racist, sexist and homophobic opinions, Indiana University (IU) professor of business economics and public policy Dr. Eric B. Rasmusen will not be fired.
In a letter to the Kelley School of Business, Dr. Lauren Robel, executive vice president and provost at IU wrote, “we cannot, nor would we, fire Professor Rasmusen for his posts as a private citizen, as vile and stupid as they are, because the First Amendment of the United States Constitution forbids us to do so. That is not a close call.”
Robel also referred to his views as “stunningly ignorant.”
With tensions high on campus regarding the decision, IU implemented multiple strategies to “protect students or colleagues from bigoted actions.”
Students would not be required to take a class from Rasmusen and double-blind grading would be enforced within his classroom.
“I condemn, in the strongest terms, Professor Rasmusen’s views on race, gender, and sexuality, and I think others should condemn them,” she wrote. “But my strong disagreement with his views—indeed, the fact that I find them loathsome—is not a reason for Indiana University to violate the Constitution of the United States.”
