An IUP student who was kicked out of a class on Christianity is facing university discipline and an uncertain future.
Lake Ingle, a senior majoring in Religious Studies, was told to leave the class taught by Dr. Alison Downie on February 28th for allegedly “disrespectful” classroom behavior, including speaking out of turn and “angry outbursts in response to being required to listen to a trans speaker discuss the reality of white male privilege and sexism.”
In an interview with the website “The Daily Caller”, Ingle says he only “…protested the use of anecdotal evidence to then start a discussion and trying to reference the material or the speaker’s account as if they were facts.” He refused to sign a document that would require him to apologize to the professor, to the class, and then to listen in silence as the professor and any student who wished to speak spoke about how his “disruptive outbursts” made them feel.
Ingle’s refusal to sign the sanctions triggered a letter from Provost Timothy Moerland summoning him to a hearing before IUP’s Academic Integrity Board, which happened Friday. Ingle told the Daily Caller that Professor Downie claimed he had been “domineering and aggressive” since Week Two of the class, but that she never said anything about his conduct until the day she kicked him out of class. He accuses Downie of bullying and violating his free speech rights.
If the board rules against Ingle, he will not be able to return to the class and will not graduate on time. That would also jeopardize some of his grant money. A decision is due next Tuesday.
