Ethics in Academia: The Professor

What constitutes an ethical professor? Answers may vary, but for the sake of this blog I will try and provide an answer. First off, there seems to be a social contract between students and professors in an academic setting, best explained by Tara L. Kuther in her “Profile of the Ethical Professor: Student Views.” This was a series of two studies examining how college students viewed their professors and what their ethical obligations should be. Here, students agreed that professors should “demonstrate respect for students, teach objectively, grade honestly, and should not tolerate cheating or plagiarism” (Kuther 153). We will look at a case study involving EphBlog founder and Professor David Kane of Harvard University and attempt to apply this definition of an ethical professor.

David Kane was recently found to have allegedly penned racist posts on EphBlog, under the pseudonym “David Dudley Field.” An article from the Harvard Crimson submits a list of said posts, with one of said posts airing grievances about Williams College, of which Kane is an alumnus, claiming that over 90% of its Black students would not have been admitted if not for their “Black’ness.” Another post criticizes Williams College’s condemnation of white supremacist group Identity Evropa without similar condemnation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet another post references “Black Supremacy” in the NBA (Chen and Kahn 2020). In the case that David Kane is indeed David Dudley Field, and the aforementioned posts reflect his own beliefs, is it possible for him to be an “ethical professor” under Kuther’s definition?

Going on the assumption that there is an informal contract between students and their professors, we must observe the demographic Kane teaches. African Americans make up 14.7% of Harvard’s newly admitted class of 2024, according to the university’s admissions statistics website. Is it possible for David Kane to teach objectively and grade honestly in regards to his Black students? Having publicized his belief that 90% of Black students did not deserve to attend an institution of higher education, is it possible for Kane to respect students of color in his classroom? Some may be inclined to conclude that he cannot do so, in that he has shown a lack of respect for Black students, thus violating one of the terms of Kuther’s contract.

Then again, there rises the question of separating private life and professional life. Is it possible for Kane to be fair towards his Black students with whom he may have personal connections, while simultaneously holding discriminatory beliefs towards the more general populace? In looking to historic examples, the Feinberg Law adopted in 1949 prohibited Communists from teaching in public schools in New York for fear that they would be unable to separate their political affiliation from their professional work. Although the Supreme Court deemed this statute unconstitutional, it still maintained that school boards had every right to screen and dismiss individuals if they hold subversive views (NYT 1967). While Harvard is not a public university, the ethical ramifications of this case still follow. Can racial views be equated to political (Communist, Socialist, Capitalist) views? In today’s society, the answer to that question would be no. Although both political speech and hate speech (particularly racist speech) are protected under free speech, hate speech is a continuous point of controversy whereas political speech is widely recognized to be ethical (Wermiel 1). Moreover, political speech is not as often punished as hate speech in professional work environments. Although Kane’s blogposts do not fall under the term of hate speech in that there are no threatening or violent undertones, they still fall under the school’s purview to penalize.

Another dilemma lies in the ethics of forcing students to take classes with professors they may feel do not respect them, grade honestly, or objectively teach. Some students expressed needing to take Kane’s class as a graduation or major requirement. In this case, should students have the option of taking the class with a separate instructor? Harvard administration made professor Kosuke Imai the official head of the course, further making David Kane’s lectures optional. However, some students have voiced their concerns with the lack of consequence for David Kane himself. He is still listed on the university’s website and seems to have retained his position. Kuther’s studies indicate - beyond the initial contract - that students further expect their professors to “ be professional [...] show concern for student welfare” (Kuther 153). It is possible to view Kane’s refusal to resign a direct attack on the welfare of his students, especially those who no longer feel comfortable in his classroom. Moreover, the posts themselves may reflect unprofessionalism on Kane’s part. In observing the sum of his actions, it seems that David Kane’s actions fail to fulfill Kuther’s contract, and thus under this definition he may not be labelled an ‘ethical professor.’

References

“Admissions Statistics.” Harvard College, college.harvard.edu/admissions/admissions-statistics.

Chen, Kevin, and Natalie Kahn. “Professor Kosuke Imai to Oversee Gov 50; Kane Will Continue Teaching: News: The Harvard Crimson.” The Harvard Crimson, The Harvard Crimson, www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/10/2/gov-50-imai-course-head/.

Chen, Kevin, and Natalie Kahn. “Students Allege Harvard Instructor David Kane Made Racist Posts on Blog: News: The Harvard Crimson.” The Harvard Crimson, The Harvard Crimson, 26 Sept. 2020, www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/9/26/david-kane-blog-allegations/.

“End of the Feinberg Law.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Jan. 1967, www.nytimes.com/1967/01/26/archives/end-of-the-feinberg-law.html.

“Fire David Kane: Opinion: The Harvard Crimson.” The Harvard Crimson, The Harvard Crimson, 1 Oct. 2020, www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/10/1/editorial-fire-david-kane/.

Franklin, Delano R. The Harvard Crimson, The Harvard Crimson, www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/9/26/david-kane-blog-allegations/.

Kuther, Tara. A Profile of the Ethical Professor: Student Views. 25 Mar. 2010, sciences.ucf.edu/biology/d4lab/wp-content/uploads/sites/115/2016/11/Kuther2003.pdf.