Yes, failing a student who would otherwise have passed the class because of personal animosity toward the student is professional misconduct, which is not protected by tenure. Signing a letter to a newspaper expressing one’s opinion is not professional misconduct, even if that opinion is extreme, inflammatory, and subsequently turns out to be based on mistaken premises. That is an example of free speech, which IS protected by tenure.
Additionally, it appears that Kim Curtis held a visiting professor position at Duke. This means she didn’t have tenure there. She has no place in a discussion about tenure.
To be honest, I get confused about what positions are tenured and what are not so I’m confused about the differences between adjunct, visiting, associate, and whatnot.
I lose confidence in your ability to identify issues with the tenure system with each passing post. That said, thanks for getting me off the fence in support of tenure.
Perhaps you should take a little time to educate yourself on tenure before continuing to rant against it.
I don’t know what it is, but dad-blame it, I’m against it!
The mind boggles at the thought of a Tenured Adjunct Professor — “We 're only going to pay you pocket change, but, by gum, you can say anything you want!”
Because if he/she weren’t tenured, they might lose that position that pays almost nothing.
Only slightly better is the Tenured Visiting Professor – “You can say anything you want as long as you’re here. When are you leaving?”
(Disclosure – I’ve been a Visiting Professor. I think the adjuncts got more. )
At the University of Colorado, in some parts of the institution, you can have tenure but the entirety of your salary depends on your grant money. So you can be tenured faculty without a grant and thus paid $0. So there are fates worse than being this tenured adjunct, but not many.
My favorite visiting scholar cartoon:
Does a professors family get a tuition discount or scholarship at that college?
Depends on the school. University of California - no. I have seen that at many of the private schools.