A University of Central Florida professor who was terminated last year for “unacceptable professional conduct” was reinstated this month after an arbitrator found UCF had no just cause for its actions.
Charles Negy, a psychology professor, drew student protests in the wake of his tweets about “Black privilege” after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
“Black privilege is real: Besides affirm. Action, special scholarships and other set asides, being shielded from legitimate criticism is a privilege,” Negy posted on his personal Twitter account.
A university investigation followed, and Negy was terminated on Jan. 29 of last year based on charges separate from the tweets. UCF concluded that he created a hostile classroom environment through “discriminatory harassment” and allegedy failed to report complaints made about a teaching assistant’s behavior to two female students.
But arbitrator Ben Falcigno’s May 16 report found that UCF had given Negy outstanding evaluations during his 18 years as a tenured professor and special pay adjustments to ensure he remained on the UCF staff.
“Just cause requires more consideration of Dr. Negy than what UCF offered,” Falcigno’s report states. “It is not a matter of sufficiency of evidence to prove misconduct years after the fact you have heaped accolades for the performance period now being reviled.”
The university, however, defended its actions.
“UCF stands by the actions taken following a thorough investigation that found repeated misconduct in Professor Negy’s classroom, including imposing his views about religion, sex and race,” Chad Binette, assistant vice president for UCF Communications, told the Florida Record in an email. “However, we are obligated to follow the arbitrator’s ruling.”
Nagy’s tweets did not have any bearing in the conclusion that university officials’ conclusion that the professor engaged in misconduct, Binette said.
“None of the findings in the investigation are a result of Dr. Negy’s comments on Twitter, which are protected as free expression, or comments in the classroom that were the subject of some students’ complaints but that the university determined were protected by academic freedom,” he said.
UCF faculty have rights to academic freedom and free speech, but faculty also have a responsibility not to impose their personal views on students, Binette said.
The arbitrator’s report said Nagy should regain tenure and all compensation and benefits as they were on his termination date.