Penn Law School Dean Ted Ruger has asked that the Faculty Senate impose a “major sanction” against tenured Penn Law professor Amy Wax, an academic known for making controversial and racist statements, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported.
Amy Wax
In a 12-page report sent Jun. 23 to Faculty Senate Chair Vivian Gadsden, Ruger argued Wax’s bigoted public statements and her behavior violated University standards.
He asked that the senate fully review Wax’s conduct and impose a major sanction.
“Academic freedom for a tenured scholar is, and always has been, premised on a faculty member remaining fit to perform the minimal requirements of the job,” Ruger wrote in the letter. “However, Wax’s conduct demonstrates a flagrant disregard of the standards, rules, or mission of the University.'”
According to university policy, a major sanction is “termination; suspension; reduction in academic base salary; zero salary increases stipulated in advance for a period of four or more years.”
The report describes occurrences of Wax making racist remarks against people of color and LGBTQ people, such as allegedly telling 2012 Penn Law graduate Lauren O’Garro Moore, who is Black, that she had only become a double Ivy “because of affirmative action.”
Wax has been criticized this year for making racist, xenophobic, and homophobic comments in interviews
