By KCBD Staff
Published: Apr. 12, 2024 at 4:40 PM CDT|Updated: Apr. 12, 2024 at 6:33 PM CDT
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Assistant Professor Jairo Fúnez-Flores has been reinstated after an investigation into social media posts he made back in January.
A statement released by Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec and Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell on Friday called the statements “hateful, antisemitic, and antithetical to our Code of Ethics,” but affirmed the university’s commitment to free speech and the First Amendment, saying that the investigation “did not find evidence of a violation of Texas Tech policy for discriminatory harassment.”
The OEO (Office of Equal Opportunity) report said, “We found no evidence that Responding Party shared or discussed the views he posted on X regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict in the classroom or work environment, and we found no evidence that his conduct in the classroom or work environment constituted discriminatory harassment based on race or religion.”
The original social media post strongly criticized Israel, its supporters, and “those who would disregard the suffering of Palestinians.”
Fúnez-Flores was suspended on Mar. 4.
A group of students rallied to support him on Mar. 7.
You can see the complete statement issued by Texas Tech University officials here:
Findings from Investigation of TTU Faculty Member
Below is a letter from Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec, Ph.D., and Texas Tech University System Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., that was shared with Texas Tech University faculty this (Friday) afternoon.
There will be no further comment from University or System personnel concerning this matter.
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Dear Faculty,
Six weeks ago, Assistant Professor Jairo Fúnez-Flores was placed on suspension pending the results of an investigation to be conducted by the Texas Tech University System Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). The purpose of the OEO investigation was to determine whether the personal sentiments posted on social media by Prof. Fúnez-Flores were expressed in the classroom or work environment, and if there were any incidents of discriminatory harassment in violation of Texas Tech policy or the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Dear Colleague Letter.
After completing the investigation, OEO did not find evidence of a violation of Texas Tech policy for discriminatory harassment. As a result, Prof. Fúnez-Flores’ suspension with pay has concluded, and he is cleared to return to his job functions.
It is important to reiterate that we deplore the social media posts by Prof. Fúnez-Flores’ and find them to be hateful, antisemitic, and antithetical to our Code of Ethics. The sentiments he has expressed are antisemitic according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. This definition has also been adopted by Texas Government Code, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Texas Tech is committed to academic freedom and recognizes the First Amendment’s application to public universities. As a public institution of higher education, we are bound by the First Amendment in any faculty matters related to speech or expression.
Just as importantly, Texas Tech’s Code of Ethics outlines a standard of conduct for members of our community. We expect differences in viewpoints to be expressed in a professional and civil manner. Personal attacks or insults have no place in the Texas Tech campus environment.
There is the right to freely express ourselves in a personal capacity, but we also have a duty to do so in a manner commensurate with our positions on our campus and in our community. As educators, we are responsible for much more than preparing our students for a professional career. Our words and actions should help students to become responsible citizens, prepared to engage with others who may have differing views in a civil and respectful manner. Prof. Fúnez-Flores’ social media comments fail to fulfill this broader responsibility.
We remain committed to providing an environment that promotes the success and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff. To that end, we will continue to proactively comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ Dear Colleague Letter prohibiting antisemitic harassment on college campuses, as well as Governor Abbott’s Executive Order No. GA-44 issued on March 27, 2024, prohibiting antisemitism at Texas public institutions of higher education.
The summary report of the completed investigation is available here.
Sincerely,
Lawrence Schovanec, Ph.D. Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.
President, Texas Tech University Chancellor, Texas Tech University System
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