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APA Committee for Defense of
Professional Rights of Philosophers

2002 Report

Proceedings And Addresses
May, 2003 (Volume 76, Issue 5)

Reports of APA Committees

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Committee for the Defense of the Professional Rights of Philosophers

Michael Corrado, Chair

Although it took on no new investigations, the Committee heard from and advised philosophers in a number of cases, the most significant of which were the following:

1. In 2001 the Executive Director of the Association wrote to the president of a censured university, urging the school to take some action toward having censure lifted. The university had been censured some years before in connection with a denial of tenure. The president of the university failed to respond. The Committee then suggested to the Board that the Association refuse to allow the university to use Association job-search facilities in hiring. A letter to that effect was sent by the Executive Director to the provost of the university: either the university would come to some resolution with the philosopher who had wrongly been denied tenure, or it would face a denial of APA services. The provost failed to respond.

In December the Executive Director announced that APA services to the university's philosophy department would be cut off. The university responded in January, and proposed to set the university's lawyer to work out a solution with the aggrieved philosopher. The Executive Director thereupon withdrew the threat to cut off services, anticipating a resolution and the lifting of censure. As far as the Committee is aware, no progress has been made. The university continues under censure.

2. One case was submitted to the Committee by a philosopher who claimed to have been wrongly terminated. Among other things, it appeared that the termination may have been
motivated in part by the strong stand the philosopher took in a student plagiarism case. The Committee prepared a letter asking the school in question for its side of the story, but after talking with the complaining philosopher's attorney and learning that the matter was headed for litigation, the Committee decided not to act, pending the outcome of litigation.

3. There were a number of matters that took the Committee's time, but did not result in any Committee action. (a.) A philosopher of foreign citizenship was given an oral offer of a job at an American university. On the basis of that, she turned down a handsome postdoctoral fellowship. The philosopher approached the Committee about the following problem: The university insisted that she pay for her own work-visa, and that she personally hire the lawyer who would do the paperwork. The philosopher was willing to pay all fees, but was concerned about the university's refusal to hire the attorney. The university refused to issue a written offer until the matter was settled. After some discussion with parties concerned, the Committee could only assure the philosopher that the university's stance was not unusual, and that there was nothing the Committee could do in the matter. (b.) A fifth year graduate student, who had been told at the beginning of her graduate studies that the department normally provided five years of support, was given only four years of support. The Committee saw no right that was violated by the denial of the fifth year of support. (c.) One school generated two claims: First, a philosopher was not hired after being given an oral offer by the department; but it seemed clear that the offer had to be approved by the school and it was not. In the next hiring cycle a philosopher lost out to what he claimed to be a nepotistic hire in the department. The Committee would not have gotten involved in any case, but the proposed hire was recognized as nepotistic and was undone by the school administration. The complaining philosopher called it a happy ending. (d.) The Committee advised the Executive Director on a number of issues, including a question that arose concerning the selling of the list of names of APA members, and two complaints about the offensive behavior of a participant at a Central Division Meeting, and the disruptive behavior of a participant at a Pacific Division Meeting.

4. Finally in last year's report, the Committee urged the Board to "consider announcing a clear policy for dealing with [certain sorts of academic freedom] cases, which seem to arise primarily in the setting of schools with religious affiliations." The Board took up the suggestion and asked the Committee to work on a proposal for such a policy. The Committee agreed; nothing has been done so far.

* * * * *

Committee members serving this year were George Allan, Larry Hickman, Helen Longino, and Beth Singer. The Board has created the new position of Vice Chair and has appointed Debra Nails of Michigan State University to that position. The Vice Chair will serve during the last year of the current Chair's tenure, and then will become the next Chair.