Michael Dini, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University is facing a Department of Justice inquiry. The subject: he refuses to give letters of recommendation to students who believe in creationism.
Evidently, one of his former students had asked for a letter of recommendation to pursue medical school. Dini has a web page (unfortunately down at the moment) that specified his criteria for a recommendation. Among other things, the page asks:
Well, Bravo Professor Dini! I find it amazing that this has come up often enough that he has had to make it the equivalent of a FAQ. Even more amazing is the student that brought the original complaint:
I don’t see an issue here. The professor is defending his professional standards for his field. Call him arrogant, call him narrow-minded, call him elitist, call him a doofus if you want, but you can’t say he is infringing on the religious rights of his students.
The attorney who filed the complaint stated:
True, except that there is no denial of protected rights. First of all, there is no right of a student to obtain a recommendation. Secondly, there are 39 professors in the Biology Department, all of whom are potential references. Thirdly, the student did in fact get a recommendation he was happy with after enrolling at a Christian college for a semester. Finally, there is nothing wrong with a science professor insisting on a scientific outlook for students he recommends.