Oberlin College settles lawsuit by professor fired after spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories

Oberlin College settles lawsuit by professor fired after spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories

You may remember Joy Karega, a former Oberlin College “social justice writing” professor.

Karega was caught spreading batsh*t crazy conspiracy theories on Facebook, many focusing on world control by Jews.

We first wrote about Karega on March 1, 2016, Oberlin anti-Semitic rant Prof hosting BDS event this week:

Last week The Tower magazine broke the story of a “social justice writing” professor at Oberlin, Joy Karega, who engaged in some bizarre anti-Semitic and anti-Israel commentary on Facebook.

The short version is that Karega, at least based on what she posts on Facbeook, sees Zionist and Jewish conspiracies almost everywhere, including claiming Israel was behind 9/11, and that the Charlie Hebdo attack and downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 were Mossad false flag operations. She also circulated and posted about the Rothschild family controlling the media and seeking global domination, so no mere anti-Zionist loon here….

Karega, by the way, was one of the faculty the Black Student Union demanded be granted tenure in its 14-page list of demands. In that same list of demands was the boycott of Israel.

This controversy takes place just weeks after hundreds of alumni signed an Open Letter to Oberlin decrying the anti-Israel and sometimes anti-Semitic atmosphere on campus driven by the anti-Israel BDS movement.

Not surprisingly, Karenga is hosting a pro-BDS event on campus this week sponsored by Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine and featuring Prof. Robin Kelley.

Here are some of Karega’s more “interesting” postings:

[Facebook posting by Oberlin Colllege professor Joy Karega]

Oberlin College initially defended Karega, issuing a short statement defending Karega’s right to hold whatever views she wants:

Oberlin College respects the rights of its faculty, students, staff, and alumni to express their personal views. Acknowledgement of this right does not signal institutional support for, or endorsement of, any specific position. The statements posted on social media by Dr. Joy Karega, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition, are hers alone and do not represent the views of Oberlin College.

After several months, Karega was removed from teaching while the college’s academic investigation was launched, Oberlin’s BDS-loving Jewish-conspiracy-spouting Prof. Joy Karega removed from teaching:

After her rants were exposed in The Tower Magazine, Oberlin was on the defensive after a long-series of anti-Semitic problems on campus centered around an out-of-control vicious anti-Israel movement.

The administration condemned the comments to some extent, the Trustees issued a strong condemnation, and a majority of professors signed a statement against her, though she has a core of faculty and student support.

She was unmoved.

Now she’s been placed on paid-leave for the fall semester.

Karega maintained strong support on campus from anti-Israel student groups, Oberlin Student Senate condemns Alumni group for complaining too much about campus anti-Semitism.  Karega and her supporters said criticism of her was motivated by racism, as we covered  in Oberlin Prof. who posted antisemitic memes says she’s a victim of racism

Karega was fired, but not because of her conspiracy theories. She was fired, according to Oberlin College, because she failed to cooperate with the investigation into her conduct. We covered the firing in Oberlin College fires Prof. Joy Karega after antisemitic Facebook posts.  The following statement was issued by Oberlin College on November 15, 2016:

The Oberlin College Board of Trustees, after extensive consideration and a comprehensive review of recommendations from multiple faculty committees and Oberlin President Marvin Krislov, has voted to dismiss Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition Joy D. Karega for failing to meet the academic standards that Oberlin requires of its faculty and failing to demonstrate intellectual honesty.

The dismissal is effective Tuesday, November 15, 2016.

As a Board, we agree with President Krislov and every faculty committee reviewing this matter that the central issues are Dr. Karega’s professional integrity and fitness. We affirm Oberlin’s historic and ongoing commitment to academic freedom.

During this process, which began with Dr. Karega’s posting of anti-Semitic writings on social media, Dr. Karega received numerous procedural protections: she was represented by counsel; she presented witness testimony, documents, and statements to support her position; and she had the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses testifying against her.

The faculty review process examined whether Dr. Karega had violated the fundamental responsibilities of Oberlin faculty members – namely, adherence to the “Statement of Professional Ethics” of the American Association of University Professors, which requires faculty members to “accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending and transmitting knowledge” and to “practice intellectual honesty.”

Contrary to this obligation, Dr. Karega attacked her colleagues when they challenged inconsistencies in her description of the connection between her postings and her scholarship. She disclaimed all responsibility for her misconduct. And she continues to blame Oberlin and its faculty committees for undertaking a shared governance review process.

For these reasons, the faculty review committees and President Krislov agreed on the seriousness of Dr. Karega’s misconduct. Indeed, the majority of the General Faculty Council, the executive body of Oberlin’s faculty, concluded that Dr. Karega’s postings could not be justified as part of her scholarship and had “irreparably impaired (her) ability to perform her duties as a scholar, a teacher, and a member of the community.”

In the face of Dr. Karega’s repeated refusal to acknowledge and remedy her misconduct, her continued presence undermines the mission and values of Oberlin’s academic community. Thus, any sanction short of dismissal is insufficient and the Board of Trustees is compelled to take this most serious action.

Karega and her supporters cried foul, and Karega eventually sued, accusing the college of “an unrelenting and pervasive conspiracy to terminate the employment of Plaintiff.” We covered the details of the suit in Fired Oberlin College Prof. Joy Karega, who spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, sues for discrimination. We also covered the amendment of the lawsuit in February 2019.

The lawsuit just settled (h/t to a reader). The Chronical-Telegram reports:

A federal lawsuit over the firing of an Oberlin College professor who posted what the college said were anti-Semitic statements on her personal social media in 2016 has been settled….

An entry on the federal court docket posted Friday states the case has been settled. It is unknown how much she received, as terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Oberlin College spokesman Scott Wargo said the college had no comment on the settlement. A message seeking comment was left for attorney Gary Benjamin, who represented Karega-Mason.

Here is the docket entry:

I emailed the attorneys for both sides, as well as Oberlin College’s spokesman, seeking comment and also inquiring as to whether Karega was getting money from the settlement. No one responded.

It appears from the docket that the settlement has not yet been consummated. A proposed Order dismissing the individual defendants has been filed, and presumably Oberlin College will be dismissed only after the settlement is final. So things could go wrong, but it’s unlikely.

Is this the end of the Joy Karega saga? Somehow, I think not, it just may take place elsewhere.

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