The University of Tennessee (UT) admitted in a statement on Wednesday that one of its professors made antisemitic comments during a classroom lecture, but said it could not go into details out of respect for the students’ privacy.
In a statement, UT Director of News and Information Tyra Haag (pictured above) distributed to the media late Wednesday, the university claimed it “has addressed concerns about a class lecture that included several comments” that fall under the “working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance” in 2016.
That group defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The Tennessee Star contacted the university to determine if the professor was disciplined for the antisemitic comments, whether the professor apologized to the students, and whether the professor who made the comments is tenured, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Though the university did not characterize the comments beyond “antisemitic,” the university acknowledged its “professor fell short of how instructors should present complex and painful issues in a classroom.” The university cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for its inability to share details but claimed it notified the affected students of their right to file a complaint alleging violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act “and university policy.”
The university did not reply to a comment request from The Star that asked whether any student submitted an official complaint.
In its statement, the university did not say whether any corrective actions were taken against the professor, nor did it name the professor in the statement. Instead, the university claimed it “outlined expectations and concerns with the leadership of the college, who have addressed them with the faculty member.”
It concluded its statement by claiming “there is no place that are or could be construed as antisemitic in any class taught at UT.”
The admission came just over a week after Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced legislation that would defund colleges and universities deemed to promote antisemitism.
Blackburn’s bill was created following Hamas terrorists’ devastating October 7 surprise attack on Israel, when student groups across the United States largely backed the terrorist group. In a statement, Blackburn charged that the “federal government should not be giving one dollar to colleges and universities that aid and abet antisemitic student groups who glorify acts of terrorism.”
The university reported record enrollment on October 10, with nearly 60,000 students enrolled in the university system.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News, and also reports for The Tennessee Star and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “University of Tennessee, Knoxville Campus” by University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
