A Fresno State University English professor lit the internet on fire Tuesday after tweeting out a rant where she called Barbara Bush an "amazing racist".
Randa Jarrar went on a more than five-hour Tweet rage within the hour of the announcement of the former First Lady's passing.
She called Bush a "witch" and wished "the rest of her family to fall to their demise." Jarrar also stated she is a tenured professor and could not be fired.
The professor is currently on leave from the university and began her leave of absence this spring at her request, according to Patti Waid, director of university communications.
Fresno State officials are moving forward with a review of Jarrar, according to University Provost, Lynnette Zelezny.
Jarrar was hired in August 2010.
So, is Jarrar's statement about tenure correct? Can professors with tenure be fired?
Let's start by understanding what exactly defines tenure for university professors.
Academic tenure is basically a contract with no expiration. This means, professors don't have to be reappointed to keep their position. Professors with tenure can only be terminated under extraordinary circumstances defined by a university policy.
The concept of tenure was founded by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in 1940 under the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.
The idea behind tenure is to protect academic freedom and allow professors to speak openly and report academic findings. If a professor loses their job for their speech or research, it's essentially going against their core duties of transmitting their knowledge, according to the AAUP.
Tenure is supposed to safeguard higher education by allowing professors and faculty to address controversial topics and ideas for the benefit of society without risking their job.
Doesn't this mean professors can say whatever they want without getting fired?
No.
It's a common misconception that tenured professors can't lose their jobs. The truth is, professors can and do get fired-- it's just done under a complicated procedure put into place to protect faculty from abuse of power, according to Higher Ed Professor, blog written by Michael Harris, a higher education researcher.
Tenure specifies reasons a professor can be terminated by an institution.
According to Harris, most reasons for letting go of a tenured professor are due to personal performance. This can mean incompetence, immoral or personal conduct and negligence. In some cases, tenured professors can be terminated due to a university's extreme financial hardships or in a financial emergency.
If a tenured professor shows an inability to do their basic job functions or can no longer keep up with their work, they can be fired. A university can also part ways with a professor if they become negligent and start doing things such as missing too many classes.
The most common reason tenured professors get fired is due to immoral or personal conduct such as engaging in abuse, sexual harassment, fraud, or criminal activity, according to Harris. The offense has to be one that is universally deemed unacceptable behavior. Academic research misconduct and plagiarism also fall into this category.
What's Fresno State University policy on tenure?
The university holds First Amendment forums every semester and aims to allow diverse voices to be heard under a "climate of respect", according to Zelezny.
During a press conference Wednesday held to address Jarrar's tweets, Zelezny said:
"The university is a public institution and must follow certain specific procedures in addressing personnel matters, which this is, and we will strictly follow these procedures," Zelezny said. "Fresno State will allow applicable law, policy and requirements of the faculty collective bargaining agreement to unfold."
Fresno State President, Joseph I. Castro also issued a statement on the controversial tweet rant.
While the situation is ongoing, Fresno state officials made it clear, Jarrar isn't exempt from being fired.
"There are certain processes we have to follow but there are, certainly, situations where a tenured faculty person can be fired," Zelenzy said.
As a reminder.
Workplace social media policies vary. Social media can be a ticket to unemployment in heated situations, especially when politics are involved.
As Americans, we have the right to freedom of speech but the employers hold the right to implement their own social media policies and define what is appropriate speech for their company.
You may remember an incident from last month where a Kaiser Permanente Roseville nurse was fired after making controversial comments on Facebook about the Stephon Clark shooting.
Policies for Kaiser Permanente are different from a university's policies just as they may be different for a news station, such as ABC10.
In conclusion
ABC10 can verify the claim made by Jarrar is false. Tenured professors can be fired under specific circumstances.
VERIFY: Resources
READ: USA Today, 'Professor who went on Barbara Bush 'racist' rant may not be saved by tenure, could lose job'
READ: The American Association of University Professors website, 'Tenure' and the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure
READ: Higher Ed Professor blog, 'Why can a tenured faculty member be fired?'