UBC faculty members speak out in support of instructor who says he was let go for pro-Palestine activism

 

UBC faculty say the instructor's dismissal demonstrates an “alarming erosion of free expression at UBC.”

An instructor at the University of British Columbia who was recently let go by the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is receiving support from colleagues who say the school violated his “academic freedom,” demonstrating an “alarming erosion of free expression at UBC.”

Sean Tucker, a former sessional instructor at UBC’s SPPH was told in October that he would no longer be teaching at the school after months of advocacy around the genocide in Gaza.

In November, faculty members of UBC Faculty for Palestine penned a letter in support of Tucker, demanding that UBC reinstate him as an instructor.

“We demand that SPPH reverse this decision, immediately rehire Dr. Tucker, and reinstate SPPH 526 for SPPH’s OEH students,” the letter, which was obtained by PressProgress, reads.

“This course has been taught from his area of scholarly expertise for its entire two years of existence. It was summarily canceled without any due process in October 2024.”

The UBC Chapter of the Jewish Faculty Network also wrote to the SPPH director with a similar demand, highlighting that Tucker himself was invited to help redesign the course by the school in 2022.  (more...)

UBC faculty members speak out in support of instructor who says he was let go for pro-Palestine activism