Leeds uni suspend lecturer
I noticed this afternoon that Leeds University have suspended Dr Frank Ellis. I blogged about my opinions on this before and can’t help but wonder if the same would have happened if he had claimed that black students *on average* returned *higher* IQ results. Maybe there is more to this story than is public at the moment - Leeds do currently stress that
…the suspension was not itself a penalty but said it had been deemed appropriate given “the seriousness of the issues”
Their full statement is now available on their site. They claim three issues are being investigated:
“…in publicising his personal views on race and other matters, Dr Ellis has acted in breach of our equality and diversity policy, and in a way that is wholly at odds with our values. The University’s values are rooted in the values of a civilised, 21st-century society; and they include the values of diversity, inclusiveness, equal opportunity, community and mutual respect. It is explicitly stated in our Charter that the University is proud to be a multi-cultural community. “
I listened to his interview on radio5 and he made it very, very clear that this was a comment on other items of research that he has read and studied and that *appeared* to show this. He was willing to see and consider other evidence to contradict this research. Leeds University have values that mean that they surpress any research that is potentially controversial?
“…in publicising his personal views on race, Dr Ellis has recklessly jeopardised the fulfilment of the University’s obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. As a public body, the University is required under that Act to promote good relations between people of different racial groups.”
Don’t follow this. He made it clear that it was his view and not the Universities. He also made it clear that he was more than happy to discuss and argue the evidence with people of *any* race. The University themselves claim that there is *no* evidence that Dr Ellis has discriminated against *any* student - regardless of race. If evidence of this is found then fine, I’m all for sacking him (and potentially prosecuting I guess).
“Dr Ellis has failed to comply with reasonable requests given to him by his employer. For example, we asked him to apologise for the distress which his remarks on race and other matters have caused to many people inside and outside the University. He has not agreed to do that. Nor has he given us an undertaking to make it clear in public that scientific questions about the differences if any between different racial groups are questions which lie a long way from his own area of academic expertise as a lecturer in Russian and Slavonic Studies. And he has failed to give us an undertaking that he will make no further public comments suggesting that one racial group is inherently inferior (or superior) to another unless there is no possibility whatsoever that anyone hearing or reading his comments might reasonably associate him with the University of Leeds. The University is clearly and publicly distancing itself from Dr Ellis’s comments on race.”
This last issue is a little more puzzling. He did say on the radio show that he wasn’t meaning to offend any racial group and was simply stating his view on published research. He didn’t quite go as far as to apologise that is true (and I fail to really see why he won’t do this). As for making it clear that this subject is somewhat out of his area of expertise again, I don’t know why he won’t do this. He was keen to make it clear that it was his views and that he was basing these views on research and publications that he had read. Odd. Maybe there is something more sinister behind this story afterall? The final point of this statement however I disagree with strongly. Why can he not make further comments unless he does it anonymously (which is in effect, what they are asking here)? He made it very clear in both interviews that I have heard with him that these were his views. He never claimed them to be the views of the University - in fact, from what I remember he never mentioned the university at all, only the interviewers did that.
I’ll look forward to seeing the outcome of this. Personally I don’t know anything about the subject to express a view either way (does that make me racist for not condemning him outright?) but if this is really his view and he is willing to back it then I really think that attempting to shut an academic up in case they offend a group of the community is the start of a slippery slope eroding academic freedom - the same academic freedoms that have driven many many controversial (at the time) research projects in the past.
