A group of University of Arkansas law school students are demanding answers from administrators after the proposed new dean of the school was removed because of reported pressure from state government officials.
At approximately 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, students dressed in black streamed out of their classrooms and into the atrium of the University of Arkansas Law School building. Earlier that day, a message went out asking fellow students and the public to join in a funeral for academic freedom and free speech.
Addison Brooks, a third-year law student and one of the organizers of today’s protest, addressed the crowd at the entrance to the law school.
“Like most of y’all, I’m from Arkansas. I’m from the teeny tiny town of Falk, and it does not get much more Arkansas than down there. I wanted to be a lawyer since I was a little kid, and the University of Arkansas was my natural choice to get there.
“I love this state, and I’m excited to advocate for Arkansas as an attorney, but we don’t have to wait till we get our diplomas and pass the bar to advocate for our state. We’re here today to protect our school, but we’re also here to protect every Arkansan who is afraid to speak for fear of retaliation. Because fear and intimidation is not the Arkansas I know. Rescinding an offer at the last minute to send a message about what words are welcome here is not my Arkansas.”
Brooks led nearly 100 protesters on a march around the perimeter of the main Fayetteville campus, down Maple Street and past the picturesque Old Main building, up to the university’s administrative offices and finally to the Union Mall. Today’s protest comes less than a week after the University of Arkansas rescinded an offer to the new dean of the law school.
Emily Suski, a law professor and Title IX expert at the University of South Carolina, was announced as the head of the law school on Jan. 9 after a two-year search for a new dean. But on Jan. 14, the university withdrew that offer after several state Republican officials and lawmakers complained about her background and legal positions, specifically on transgender athletes.
First-year law students Victoria Moody and Jakara Mills say the mood at the school right now is mostly confused and upset. They say law schools should be a place where all opinions have the right to be heard and argued.
“No matter which way we’re leaning or what our opinions are, that they’re all voiced equally and held to the same standards regardless. And they should never be oppressed, in my opinion.”
“I agree. We put our input in for who we wanted to be dean, and I felt like our feedback wasn’t taken into consideration. Free speech should be protected regardless of however she signed. And that’s why we’re out here.”
That free speech is what Brooks and her fellow organizers — collectively known as Arkansas Law Students for Academic Freedom — say this demonstration is about. They argue that lawyers cannot do their jobs if they’re concerned about retaliation for expressing a legal opinion or defending a client with viewpoints lawmakers disagree with.
“I think that should upset anyone in the state who values public discourse, a strong education system and an unafraid legal profession. If they can do this to us, they can do it to anyone. And we hope that today we show the state of Arkansas that we can be trusted with their rights in the future, and that they can trust us to stand up for them the same way that we’re going to stand up for ourselves.”
Ted Swedenburg, an emeritus professor of anthropology and Middle East studies at the university, says the interference from state lawmakers in university policies extends beyond the law school. He cited the removal of the Middle East Center’s director in December following statements she made about Israel.
“When I come back and talk to my faculty friends, they’re demoralized by all these things, right? You have a faculty here that, according to reports, is very demoralized by the erosion of the rights of the faculty. They’re intimidated. But it’s demoralizing when your leadership just buckles and doesn’t stand up. People are afraid.”
Brooks believes the administration’s move to revoke Suski’s hiring will affect the school’s reputation.
“What dean wants to come here now? If professors around the nation see what our legislature is capable of when they don’t get their way, who wants to come here and be in charge of the next generation of attorneys? I think that we have majorly hindered our ability to recruit both students, faculty and administration.”
A spokesperson for the university did not immediately respond to comment, but a letter went out to faculty and students yesterday signed by Chancellor Charles Robinson and Provost Indrajeet Chaubey that said they would consult with School of Law faculty, staff and students as they work to select the right person for dean.
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