How far can a university stretch the definition of harassment?
Far enough to investigate a professor over the phrase “word salad,” apparently.
Just ask Richard Himelfarb, a political science professor at Hofstra University. He thought his colleague’s proposed Jewish Studies course contained too little Jewish content, so during a faculty meeting he described the proposal as rambling “word salad.”
In response, the colleague filed a harassment complaint, alleging the phrase “word salad” is discriminatory against his accent and Latino identity.
But instead of opening a dialogue, the university opened a harassment investigation.
Let’s be clear: This kind of criticism is not harassment. Professors should ask tough questions, test theories, and weigh in on each other’s proposals. Being offended by the term “word salad” doesn’t make it harassment under the law or even Hofstra’s own policies.
