UCF intends to terminate Associate Professor of Psychology Charles Negy for misconduct in the classroom after months of investigation, Knight News has confirmed.
Negy first made headlines this summer after his controversial tweets that claim black privilege exists prompted the UCF community to call for his firing with the Twitter hashtags #UCFireHim and #UCFFireHim.
A university investigation found he created a “hostile” classroom environment, deterred students from filing complaints, failed to report that a student said she had been sexually assaulted by one of his teaching assistants and provided false information during the investigation, records show.
This story was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
UCF spokesman Chad Binette told Knight News that the UCF Office of Institutional Equity interviewed more than 300 people over the past several months, reviewed hundreds of documents and listened to many hours of audio.
“The investigation began following a series of complaints the university received, primarily from current and former students, about his conduct in the classroom,” Binette said. “This process was comprehensive and unbiased.”
Binette said as a result of the investigation’s findings, Negy received a notice informing him of the university’s intent to terminate his employment.
“None of the findings in the investigation are a result of Dr. Negy’s comments on Twitter, which are protected as free expression, or comments in the classroom that were the subject of some students’ complaints but that the university determined were protected by academic freedom,” Binette wrote to the Sentinel.
Negy has until Jan. 25 to submit a written response to the allegations. He has been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 5 and is not teaching this spring.
Interim dean of UCF’s College of Sciences Tosha Dupras wrote in a letter to Negy — sent on Wednesday — that his termination for misconduct is to take effect Jan. 25, and then UCF will then make a final decision.
Negy will not receive six months’ notice of his termination — as the faculty members’ contract typically requires — because UCF thinks his actions “jeopardize the safety or welfare of … students,” the Sentinel reports.
Click to the next page to see the records obtained by Knight News and previous coverage on the topic.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information. Check back with Knight News for updates.
