Today’s blacklisted American: Professor fired by university for having opinions
Burn witches: What St. Joseph’s University is doing,
with great enthusiasm.
Today’s blacklist story is an update from a March 25 story. Then, St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania had merely suspended Professor Gregory Manco because he dared to publicly express opposition to the idea of paying reparations to blacks for something (slavery) that hasn’t existed in the U.S. for more than 150 years.
The university has now doubled down on that action by terminating Manco’s employment.
The biggest irony is that the school’s own investigation found that Manco had done nothing wrong.
A three-month investigation into the Twitter history of math Professor Gregory Manco has been concluded and Saint Joseph’s University administrators have determined that it is not possible to conclude the educator violated any campus policies. “The potential outcomes of an investigation include [1] a finding of more likely than not that a violation of policy occurred, [2] a finding of more likely than not that a violation of policy did not occur, or [3] no determination could be made,” Gail Benner, director of public relations for St. Joseph’s University, told The College Fix via email on Wednesday
“In this case, a definitive determination could not be made due to insufficient evidence,” she said.
Manco, a longtime assistant professor of math at the Philadelphia-based institution, said he feels vindicated and his suspension has ended.
Note the bureaucratic language the university uses in its announcement that Manco was innocent of violating any of its policies. It is as if they are making this announcement through gritted teeth, unhappy that this person, who happens to have opinions they oppose, can’t be tarred and feathered for those opinions.
Knowing that punishing him directly for doing nothing wrong would likely cost them a lot of money in court, the university simply punted for a few months and then did not renew Manco’s contract, effectively firing him.
Manco said he worries that the dispute will harm his professional reputation and remains convinced the decision was politically motivated. “The very fact that I am non-tenured makes it even more important that they be extra careful not destroying my reputation,” he said. “A tenured person can at least put his life back together while going back to his guaranteed job.”
“But for the University to subject me to this, and THEN show me the door for what is claimed to be an unrelated reason? How exactly do I explain to a prospective employer why I have no student evaluations in my last full time semester?”
Simply because he anonymously posted three tweets expressing opposition to the agendas of the academic left, the man has now been most effectively blacklisted. With most colleges controlled by intolerant leftists, Manco stands almost no chance of returning to a university classroom.
As I noted in March, while St. Joseph’s is a private Catholic university, it certainly gets government grants. Maybe the state legislature should rethink where that money is going.
Certainly, students and parents should rethink if they are considering attending this college. The administrators and faculty of St. Joseph’s do not believe in free speech, and instead support Stalinist tactics of oppression and censorship. No rational and civilized person should want to be educated by such people.
Readers!
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Burn witches: What St. Joseph’s University is doing,
with great enthusiasm.
Today’s blacklist story is an update from a March 25 story. Then, St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania had merely suspended Professor Gregory Manco because he dared to publicly express opposition to the idea of paying reparations to blacks for something (slavery) that hasn’t existed in the U.S. for more than 150 years.
The university has now doubled down on that action by terminating Manco’s employment.
The biggest irony is that the school’s own investigation found that Manco had done nothing wrong.
A three-month investigation into the Twitter history of math Professor Gregory Manco has been concluded and Saint Joseph’s University administrators have determined that it is not possible to conclude the educator violated any campus policies. “The potential outcomes of an investigation include [1] a finding of more likely than not that a violation of policy occurred, [2] a finding of more likely than not that a violation of policy did not occur, or [3] no determination could be made,” Gail Benner, director of public relations for St. Joseph’s University, told The College Fix via email on Wednesday
“In this case, a definitive determination could not be made due to insufficient evidence,” she said.
Manco, a longtime assistant professor of math at the Philadelphia-based institution, said he feels vindicated and his suspension has ended.
Note the bureaucratic language the university uses in its announcement that Manco was innocent of violating any of its policies. It is as if they are making this announcement through gritted teeth, unhappy that this person, who happens to have opinions they oppose, can’t be tarred and feathered for those opinions.
Knowing that punishing him directly for doing nothing wrong would likely cost them a lot of money in court, the university simply punted for a few months and then did not renew Manco’s contract, effectively firing him.
Manco said he worries that the dispute will harm his professional reputation and remains convinced the decision was politically motivated. “The very fact that I am non-tenured makes it even more important that they be extra careful not destroying my reputation,” he said. “A tenured person can at least put his life back together while going back to his guaranteed job.”
“But for the University to subject me to this, and THEN show me the door for what is claimed to be an unrelated reason? How exactly do I explain to a prospective employer why I have no student evaluations in my last full time semester?”
Simply because he anonymously posted three tweets expressing opposition to the agendas of the academic left, the man has now been most effectively blacklisted. With most colleges controlled by intolerant leftists, Manco stands almost no chance of returning to a university classroom.
As I noted in March, while St. Joseph’s is a private Catholic university, it certainly gets government grants. Maybe the state legislature should rethink where that money is going.
Certainly, students and parents should rethink if they are considering attending this college. The administrators and faculty of St. Joseph’s do not believe in free speech, and instead support Stalinist tactics of oppression and censorship. No rational and civilized person should want to be educated by such people.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
St. Joseph’s is a private Catholic university
I’m so old I remember when “is the pope Catholic” was a rhetorical question.
On the one hand, we have the institution known for advocatus diaboli. On the other, we have the institution known for excommunicating those who disagree with its doctrine. On the gripping hand, we have the institution that remains silent while those who support “choice” loudly proclaim their faith in it.
Mr. Manco has definitely been badly used. One wonders about the career options for someone with a doctorate in the history of math.
Vaguely related: I decided that I was not interested in math when I was in my second post-calculus class and was still learning things discovered/invented in the 1700s. I despaired of ever learning anything “current” and gave up.
Here are a few verses inspired by BehindTheBlack and current events, and somewhat cribbed from the Bard’s play Richard III.
I imagine that the supporting character speaking these lines is the Cave Explorer Sir Zimmerman in a play named King J. Robinette II.
Now is the Summer of our discontent
Gone the glorious rise from Winter’s American Carnage;
Now are our brows bound with dented brain buckets
Our bruised monuments torn down for CRT;
Our smooth rappels traded for cratering and chest compressors,
Our Olympic delights turn to dreadful retreats.
Grim-visaged war has wrinkled her botoxed front;
And now, instead of mounting grid finned rockets
To astonish the souls of a world wide audience,
The dead eyed zombies are in court to crush
Those who dream of reaching for the stars.
Also, all the poor souls that didn’t deserve consideration prior to poorly planned pull-out. I really do think this is the totalitarian elite that only care about the elite. Everyone else is on their own…lip service given to women’s rights.
Ya know, way back when, I used to play a RPG called Twilight 2000 which was set in a dystopian post-Third World War Eastern Europe. (think Mad Max with actual equipment and procedures). The first scenario began with a final message from Division Headquarters to all personnel
“‘I wish all of you Godspeed. Good luck. You’re on your own. This is Alpha 1-Actual, signing off.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight:_2000
Of course, that was just fantasy and a lot of fun with some friends and a bottle of smooooth whisky on a Friday night.
Here’s reality in 2021
“U.S. forces can’t help Americans flee to Kabul airport, Pentagon chief says”
“U.S. government-provided flights are departing. U.S. citizens, LPRs, and their spouses and unmarried children (under age 21) should consider travelling to Hamid Karzai International Airport. You should plan to enter the airport at Camp Sullivan. From the HKIA Airport South Traffic Circle, head east for 1km and turn right on to Camp Sullivan. Please note that gates may change frequently and that we will provide updates as necessary.
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CANNOT ENSURE SAFE PASSAGE TO THE HAMID KARZAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. ”
In other words, “Good luck,. You’re on your own”
It’s estimated there are 15,000 American citizens trapped in Taliban controlled areas
As a career Army officer, I’m sickened and appalled. Not at the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, but at the lack of preparation by US forces. After all, the military has known for several years that we were leaving. Where were all the contingency plans? It’s not a “withdrawal”, it’s a rout. Biden said that it would not be a repeat of Saigon or words to that effect. It isn’t, it’s worse. The “helicopter leaving the US embassy” for this war are the scenes at the Kabul airport.
The damage to the US military and American credibility will be incredible. I served in the post-Vietnam Army (1975-1999) and I remember how the Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer Corps and the Troops sweated their hearts’ blood to repair the damage and rebuild the wreckage to an Army that the the people of the US could be proud off and could accomplish its mission of defending them. I feel like I’m back in 1975….I need that whisky.
Our enemies are emboldened and our allies disheartened and threatened. The word is going out, “You can’t trust America, they’ll fight to the last drop of your blood. They are cowards and worse, incompetents.” (There’s an awful lot of Afghans who have learned the bitter truth of Henry Kissinger’s comment, “”It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.” ),
Look at China
https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/china-sends-chilling-warning-to-taiwan-says-fall-of-kabul-to-taliban-tarnishes-us-credibility/news-story/624bf40bfa100f7d34079da316e6d73c
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1478823/World-War-3-news-China-Taiwan-Beijing-Afghanistan-Afghan-South-China-Sea
Taiwan, Japan, Ukraine, The Baltics, South Korea – the message is out, “Good luck,. You’re on your own”
Due to incompetence at the highest level, we’re in a much more dangerous world. Just consider what this will do to nuclear proliferation. Japan will do the unthinkable and have nuclear weapons within several years, Korea and Taiwan within five to seven (if they are given that long)
In a parliamentary democracy, there’d be a vote of no confidence, the President, Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs would resign – for starters. After all, the President is Commander in Chief (One of the first things I learned as a cadet was. “The commander is responsible for all a unit does and fails to do” – you can’t blame your subordinates – and I already see that in Washington) and he has failed in greatest responsibility, being ready to protect American citizens who are now trapped. But, that won’t happen. We’ll have a “Woke” leadership purging the officer and enlisted ranks and ensuring the only warriors in the ranks the social justice type. With leadership like this, we’re going to get our ass kicked in the next major war and a whole lot of America’s Best are going to die due to its incompetence.
“Good luck. You’re on your own”
“you blame your subordinates” should read “you can’t blame your subordinates” Bob. could you correct that, please?
Col Beausabre: Sure. Fixed.
I have not posted anything on the situation in Kabul because others are reporting on it far more thoroughly than I. What I can say is that prior to the election I outlined in detail reasons that made Joe Biden a very bad choice for President. Unfortunately, too many Americans were willing to not think clearly about such things. They let their childish emotional alignments with party to guide them instead.
Thus, even if the election was stolen (something I think remains entirely unproven), that steal occurred because Biden still had enough real votes to make it possible for the fake votes to put him over the finish line, in the lead.
There is no justification for the Democratic Party, in its present form, should receive more than 20% of the votes in any election, from President down to dog catcher. A thorough rejection by the voters, followed up by a thorough house-cleaning within that party, must happen. And it must happen in every election to come for the next four years.
Robert,
The Democrats may get more than 20% of the actual vote but not a majority of the actual vote. But the Democrats get a majority of the tabulated votes through whatever means they can.
COL BEAUSABRE wrote: “Our enemies are emboldened and our allies disheartened and threatened. The word is going out, “You can’t trust America, they’ll fight to the last drop of your blood. They are cowards and worse, incompetents.” (There’s an awful lot of Afghans who have learned the bitter truth of Henry Kissinger’s comment, “”It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.” )”
Biden has turned the U.S. military into the French military. The orders were to drop all their weapons and run. No wonder so many American citizens were left behind.
It reminds me of the T-shirt that reads, on the back, “I am a bomb technician. If you see me running, try to keep up.” Except that they didn’t hand out these T-shirts to our armed forces so that the civilians would know that they had to run, too.
Although I am willing to stipulate that Biden is not purposefully trying to destroy America, the question is: What would Biden do differently if he were trying to destroy America?
I asked the same question about Obama, too. Both cede territory, weapons, money, and power to our enemies while weakening our own country and military might. Neither were interested in The American Way, such as freedom, speaking one’s mind, and individual choice.
The main purpose of tenure for professors is to guarantee that they can speak their minds without retribution from the university’s administration. What happened to Manco proves that tenure is still necessary, that we humans have not yet grown up into a mature species that respects natural rights.
Should Elementary school teachers – or K-12 teachers get Tenure?
I don’t think so.
Especially considering how poorly students test in State-wide tests..
To Biden, His Natioanl Security Advisor, The Secretaries of Defense and State, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, CENTCOM cimmander and his staff
‘You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!’
– Oliver Cromwell to Parliament in Parliament (1653)
– Leo Amery to Chamberlain in Parliament (1940)