Louisiana Voice

State Rep. Charles Anthony Owen (R-Rosepine) apparently has seen enough of university and college faculty members taking heat whenever they call attention to violations or other questionable practices.

There is certainly no shortage of examples: KEN LEVY, IVOR VAN HEERDEN and STEVEN HATFIELD at LSU and the pulling of professor FERESHREH AMAMI from her research at Lake Maurepas by Southeastern Louisiana University come to mind immediately.

Those must have been on Owen’s mind when he filed HOUSE BILL 1008 which would prohibit public postsecondary education institutions from retaliating against faculty members who disclose certain alleged violations or who exercise academic freedom of speech.

That could be because Owen holds a Ph.D. from Louisiana Tech. Retired from the military, he also has served as an adjunct faculty member in his own right.

Regardless, as his bill asserts, “Academic freedom means the right of faculty members to teach, research, publish and express views on matters within their field of expertise without interference, consistent with professional standards and institutional policies.”

The bill says that no postsecondary institution, nor any officer, employee or agent of any institution may retaliate against or harm any faculty member for “disclosing or reporting concerns about any alleged violation of law, regulatory policy or ethical standard or any other alleged act of impropriety related to academic, administrative or operational matters at the institution.”

Included is any such reporting to any “supervisor, institutional official, state or federal agency, legislator, law enforcement officer or the public about waste, fraud, abuse, misconduct or threats to public health, safety or institutional integrity.”

Also protected in Owen’s bill is the exercising of academic freedom, “including but not limited to teaching topics that some may consider controversial, conducting research and publishing findings.”

Owen’s bill was referred to the House Committee on Education of which he is a member.

His bill has merit but enforcement could conceivably be a problem, just as it is with any violation when people in charge are reluctant to investigate and act. And in Louisiana, there’s no shortage of officials perfectly willing to look the other direction.