MSU English professor William Penn will return to teaching next semester despite his widely publicized alleged anti-Republican rant during the first week of classes.
According to the MSU schedule of courses, Penn is set to teach both ENG 228, Intro to Fiction Writing, and ENG 428, Advanced Fiction Writing, during the spring semester. ENG 228 currently is at full capacity, with all 25 spots filled.
“Professor William Penn will be assigned to teach two small courses next semester in creative writing,” MSU spokesman Kent Cassella said in a statement. “In the meantime, as part of MSU’s commitment to create a learning environment characterized by mutual respect and civility, a faculty committee created by Academic Governance continues to review the responsibilities of faculty members and the impact of social media on teaching and learning.”
Penn was placed on paid suspension after a video of the rant went viral and was criticized on conservative talk shows.
Penn’s rant, which was videotaped by a student present on the first day of class, included statements such as: “They don’t want to pay taxes because they have already raped this country and gotten everything out of it they possibly could.”
The controversy ignited a debate on campus and across the state about professorial conduct and the limits of academic freedom.
“I was appalled,” MSU Trustee Mitch Lyons said in a previous interview. “It doesn’t matter if it was Democrat or Republican … it was hateful in nature. It puts into question how open minded people can be in his class.”
Political science sophomore Evan Schrage was behind the camera during Penn’s IAH 207 class and captured about nine minutes of Penn’s outburst.
In a prior interview, Schrage said although he was happy the university took action reprimanding Penn, he was not completely satisfied.
“I don’t see how a slap on the wrist and a paid vacation is an appropriate punishment.” Schrage said. “I think they need to take further action.”
Schrage is a member of MSU College Republicans but has maintained his decision to record and release the video was not politically motivated.
Schrage declined to comment Sunday.
Although some thought Penn’s punishment was not severe enough, others dissented.
Mae Kuykendall, an MSU law professor and president of the MSU chapter of American Association of University Professors, said in a previous interview that Penn’s punishment was “a massively punitive measure to take toward a faculty member.”
Kuykendall also said if Penn were to file a lawsuit against the university claiming his academic freedom was infringed upon, he might have success.
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