Posted on 04/13/2006 4:37:50 PM PDT by dukeman
Ohio State University will press forward with frivolous investigation despite ADF letter
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Officials at the Ohio State University are investigating an OSU Mansfield librarian for “sexual harassment” after he recommended four conservative books for a freshman reading program. ADF has demanded that OSU cease its frivolous investigation, yet the university is pressing forward, claiming that it takes the charges “seriously.”
“Universities are one of the most hostile places for Christians and conservatives in America,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David French, who heads ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom. “It is shameful that OSU would investigate a Christian librarian for simply recommending books that are at odds with the prevailing politics of the university.”
Scott Savage, who serves as a reference librarian for the university, suggested four best-selling conservative books for freshman reading in his role as a member of OSU Mansfield’s First Year Reading Experience Committee. The four books he suggested were The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian, The Professors by David Horowitz, Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye’or, and It Takes a Family by Senator Rick Santorum. Savage made the recommendations after other committee members had suggested a series of books with a left-wing perspective, by authors such as Jimmy Carter and Maria Shriver.
Savage was put under “investigation” by OSU’s Office of Human Resources after three professors filed a complaint of discrimination and harassment against him, saying that the book suggestions made them feel “unsafe.” The complaint came after the OSU Mansfield faculty voted without dissent to file charges against Savage. The faculty later voted to allow the individual professors to file charges.
On March 28, ADF sent OSU officials a letter informing them of Savage’s constitutional rights. A copy of the letter can be read at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/OSUMansfieldletter.pdf.
The university so far has declined to stop the investigation, saying in its response that it takes “any allegation of sexual harassment seriously.”
“The OSU Mansfield faculty is attempting to label a librarian as a ‘sexual harasser’ because they disagree with his book suggestions,” said French. “It is astonishing that an entire faculty would vote to launch a sexual harassment investigation because a librarian offered book suggestions in a committee whose purpose was to solicit such suggestions.”
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
Ohio State is going to lose this one. ADF is an excellent organization.
Also, if he had recommended the Koran or Kama Sutra, there would have been praise for his "enlightened" ideas.
It's not the nature of the evidence, it's the seriousness of the charge, don't you know . . .
Part of the Left's plans if/when they, through the Demonrats, have access to legislative power is to make much of conservative expression (talk shows in particular) subject to the equal time provisions of the Fairness Act through its expansion. Given their way they would shut down conservative speech as they've largely succeeded on college campuses. Perhaps conservative magazines will be required to be placed in bins which hide their covers lest a black person be tempted to peruse one.
What do you know about this Ohio?
Media embarassment isn't enough to deal with this. These officials need to be personally sued. It's time to make examples of these Marxist pigs.
I interviewed for this librarian's job some years ago. As I remember the campus, it's rather small in a blue-collar town with middle and lower middle income students. I wonder what their parents think of the education they're getting? I'd like to see the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom stand up for this guy. That's what they're supposed to do. Where are they???
I fear they will all be out there at the beltway threatening me.
Wonder if OSU would investigate that?
You should let the kiddies look over your shoulder. They might read something that ends up educating them.
Uhh, they're out raising bail for their AlQaida boyfriends.
Gosh, what would they have charged him with if he recommended books by Ann Coulter, Bernard Goldberg or Mark Levin?
This is ridiculous. The only thing that could be more silly is if the University comes back with administrative charges against the librarian.
His reading selections made them (other professors) feel unsafe? Preposterous. Outrageous. Political Correctness run amok.
I thought this was a Scrappleface article at first.
These thought control nazis are really dangerous. Then they are the first ones to scream Bush, Cheney and the right are threatening our civil liberties! I truly fear for the future when I hear of things like this.
Actually, I've not read the Santorum book, yet. However, I found the others quite readable, and informative.
That's from the OSU Mission Statement. Being a little hypocritical with Mr. Savage I think.
It's a disease spreading Eastward. I think it started in Madison, WI.
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