IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll announced today that a student at the center of a controversy concerning first amendment rights has been allowed to return to class for now.
Lake Ingle, an IUP senior majoring in Religious Studies, was thrown out of a class by his teacher, Dr. Allison Downie, for disruptive behaviors, including speaking out of turn and other behaviors, after she showed the class a video lecture from a trans-gender speaker discussing the reality of white male privilege and sexism. In interviews he has given to national media, Ingle stated that he was objecting to “the use of anecdotal evidence to start a discussion and trying to reference the material or the speaker’s account as if they were facts.” He was offered a chance to return to class, provided he write an apology to the teacher, make a verbal apology in front of the class, and listen to Downie and his fellow classmates talk about how his actions made them feel.
Driscoll has put an indefinite pause to the formal university process, meaning Ingle can return to class without having to make any of the apologies requested. Also, Dr. Pablo Mendoza, assistant to the President on Social Equity, will facilitate discussions among class members. If Driscoll feels that these processes do not improve the situation, Driscoll said he reserves the right to re-start the university’s formal processes. Driscoll said that while he may be charged with not following policy, which could leave him open to lawsuits, he feels that it is the right thing to do in this different circumstance.
Driscoll also added that that he was disappointed that the university community fell short in following what he called “The IUP Way”, and he felt that there was still a chance to use that credo as a guiding principle in this incident.
A complete video of Monday’s news conference can be found on our Facebook Page.
To read Driscoll’s statement, click here.
