UCLA Gets Rid of Popular Conservative Instructor
The war against anything even resembling conservative thought on America���s college and university campuses appears to be entirely boundless.
The College Fix is reporting on a conservative professor at UCLA, exceedingly popular with his students, who has been dumped by the school because he supposedly failed an employment review.
Keith Fink is known in some circles as a high-profile attorney who has both represented and sued a variety of celebrities, but is even better known to some as a staunch, vocal advocate of free speech. As a function of this advocacy, Fink had been an instructor at UCLA���s Division of Social Sciences, where he taught a course called ���Sex, Politics, and Race: Free Speech on Campus.��� However, the Dean of Social Sciences, Laura Gomez, wrote to Fink that his appointment as a continuing lecturer would not be renewed because, as she put it, his ���teaching does not meet the standard of excellence.���
In a statement issued to The College Fix on Fink���s behalf, teaching assistant Andrew Litt said that ���this outcome is entirely politically-motivated��� by those at UCLA ���who do not like his message on issues [such] as free speech and due process which UCLA routinely flout.���
���His termination is an injustice to the students and the taxpayers of the state, a threat to all teachers and academic freedom and a slap in the face to the notion of due process and fundamental fairness. He will not give up the fight here based on principle,��� Litt went on to say.
In an interview with Breitbart News, Fink made it clear what he thinks happened.
���The decision was purely political. By UCLA���s own metrics I had the highest ratings of any teacher in the entire department. I laid out in great detail to Dean Gomez how I easily met the criteria to be deemed excellent and continue teaching at UCLA. It shouldn���t be forgotten the prior chairs of the department both thought I was an outstanding teacher and they kept giving me additional classes to teach. The students love my classes.���
Fink also told Breitbart that he believes an earlier appearance with Tucker Carson on Fox News irritated colleagues at UCLA, as well as others at the school.
���Professor [Kerri] Johnson was livid that I went on Tucker Carlson���s show which is quite ironic given she is the head of a Communications Department,��� said Fink. ���After the appearances on the show, the department received scores of letters from upset alumni and students. I don���t think ultimately it had any effect as the outcome here was preordained.���
���Professor Johnson, who never met me until this year, has stated she never liked me and thought someone with my views shouldn���t teach in the department.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
