University of Pittsburgh Ordered to Reinstate Student Expelled for Membership in Liberal Club
A court ordered the University of Pittsburgh to reinstate freshman student Arthur McDowell who had been expelled the previous May. His offense? Being a leader of the Liberal Club on campus. The story in the New York Times on this day reported only his membership in the group and no actions that might have justified his expulsion.
William Albertson, another student, was also expelled. And the university fired Philosophy Professor Frederick Woltman because he was executive secretary of the Pittsburgh chapter of the ACLU. Woltman had reportedly offended the local power structure because in a series of articles he had criticized the leaders of the major coal companies for their treatment of coal mine workers.
On November 7, 1940, the Association of American Universities (the administrators) finally accepted the AAUP (representing faculty) statement on academic freedom, which with revisions stands today as the governing document on academic freedom and tenure.
Learn more about academic freedom today on the AAUP web site.
Read and learn: Harvey Silverglate, FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus (2012)
Read the official AAUP documents on academic freedom and tenure.