Orlando, FL – Fired UCF Psychology Professor Charles Negy—accused of creating a hostile environment for students—has had his job reinstated by an arbitrator after they found that Negy had been terminated without “just cause.” He could come back
to UCF as early as the Fall, per his statements made on Fox 35 Orlando early on Thursday, May 19.
Hard on the heels of global protests against police brutality in the Summer of 2020, Negy’s tweets sent shockwaves throughout the nation after he alleged that “[b]lack privilege is real: Besides affirm. action, special scholarships and other set asides, being shielded from legitimate criticism is a privilege. But as a group, they’re missing out on much needed feedback.” In another, he wrote, “If Afr. Americans as a group, had the same behavioral profile as Asian Americans (on average, performing the best
academically, having the highest income, committing the lowest crime, etc.), would we still be proclaiming ‘systematic racism’ exists.”
In response to charges of racism, Negy said, “I don’t regret what I sa[id], I still want to put forth these ideas. [B]ecause we’re never gonna solve these racial inequalities, we’re always going to be fighting with each other if we don’t have these brutal
conversations” (per Fox 35 Orlando). Not long after the tweets, #UCFfirehim started trending nationwide. The University decided to open an investigation on June 4, 2020.
On January 13, 2021, it moved to fire him, not for the tweets, but for the student complaints against Negy for creating a “hostile” learning environment and false statements made over the course of the University’s 2020 probe. Along with the
notice of termination, the University issued a 244-page report detailing Negy’s misconduct, containing 94 complaints against him. After his firing, Negy took legal action against the University, and arbitration soon followed.
Negy’s attorney, Samantha Harris, stated that the “[University] ha[d] violated his First Amendment rights. They ha[d] violated his due process rights. People have engaged in defamation. The treatment of him has just been outrageous and it’s unlawful” (per Fox 35 Orlando). As for the report, Harris said it was “pretextual” and an effort to discredit Negy.
On January 31, 2021, Knight News interviewed attorney Adam Goldstein from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education First Amendment, where more details surrounding Negy’s legal action against the University were explored. Goldstein mentioned that Negy still had the potential to raise a substantial First Amendment case against the University even if the tweets were not—at least according to the University—the cause for firing. Not only that, but Goldstein assessed that Negy
could end up with a ‘pile of money.’ Goldstein further hypothesized that sometimes government officials—like the University’s top brass—are willing to risk lawsuits to
“appease constituents.”
After Negy broke the news to Fox 35 Orlando Thursday morning May 19, Knight News contacted the University’s Assistant VP of Communications, Chad Binette. Binette mentioned that the University “support[s] faculty members’ right to academic
freedom and the First Amendment rights of everyone in our campus community,” but that it “expect[ed] that faculty and staff members have a responsibility to not impose their personal beliefs on students, and [it] do[es] not tolerate discrimination against any member of our campus community.”
In terms of the arbitrator’s decision, Mr. Binette mentioned that the University “stands by the actions taken following a thorough investigation that found repeated misconduct in Professor Negy’s classroom, including imposing his views about
religion, sex and race. However, [it is] obligated to follow the arbitrator’s ruling.” This all but confirms Negy’s statements on Fox 35 Orlando, meaning that the fired professor could be back as early as this coming Fall, but an official return date has
yet to be announced.
Written by Sebastián Delgado.
