The University of Pennsylvania law school has taken disciplinary action against tenured professor Amy Wax for her controversial comments about race. Wax, known for questioning the academic performance of Black students, inviting a white nationalist to speak in her class, and advocating for less Asian immigration, has been suspended for one year at half pay, received a public reprimand, lost her named chair and summer pay indefinitely. Additionally, Wax is required to state in public engagements that her opinions are personal, not representative of the university or law school.
Despite these sanctions, the university has not terminated Wax or revoked her tenure. In response to the consequences, Wax expressed her intention to remain at the school as a “conservative presence on campus.” She dismissed allegations of mistreatment towards students as “totally bogus and made up,” characterizing the situation as a form of performance art to showcase the administration’s aversion to conservative viewpoints.
The disciplinary action stemmed from a faculty hearing board’s findings of Wax’s “flagrant unprofessional conduct” during a three-day hearing in May. The board highlighted her history of making derogatory generalizations based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status. Wax was accused of breaching student privacy guidelines by discussing grades by race and making discriminatory remarks targeting specific racial and ethnic groups in her classroom.
The university’s Provost, John L. Jackson Jr., emphasized the importance of academic freedom while stressing the duty of instructors to treat all students impartially to maintain an equitable educational environment. Jackson mentioned that Wax’s behavior had raised concerns among students about fair assessment of their academic performance.
Wax’s lawyer, David Shapiro, claimed that the university’s actions were politically motivated, citing Wax’s conservative views and her inclusion of a white nationalist speaker in her curriculum. He argued that the school utilized old and disputed allegations regarding interactions with minority students to strengthen their case against Wax.
In response, Wax stood by her actions, stating that she aimed to expose students to diverse perspectives, even those they may disagree with. She noted her concern about universities stifling dissenting opinions and fostering an environment where students are unwilling to engage with differing viewpoints. This is not the first time Wax has faced repercussions for her remarks, having been removed from teaching mandatory first-year law courses in 2018 due to criticisms of Black students’ academic performance.