CONTACT: Nico Perrino, 630-674-4526, nico@thefire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY
NEWS CONFERENCE TOMORROW:
Fired Professor Sues LSU for Free Speech, Due Process Violations
TIME & LOCATION:
10:00 a.m. CT TOMORROW, Thursday, January 21, 2016
Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (King Room)
201 Lafayette Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
NEWS CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS:
Teresa Buchanan, plaintiff; fired LSU education professor
Bob Corn-Revere, attorney; Davis Wright Tremaine
Catherine Sevcenko, director of litigation; Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
SUMMARY:
BATON ROUGE, La., January 20, 2016—Tomorrow morning, education professor Teresa Buchanan will announce the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit against the president of Louisiana State University (LSU) and other top administrators for violating her free speech and due process rights by firing her last year. The press conference will begin at 10 a.m. Central Time and take place in the King Room at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center on Lafayette Street.
Buchanan was fired for her alleged occasional use of sexual language and humor in lessons and role-playing exercises that she used to prepare her adult students to become effective teachers. Both the LSU Faculty Senate and the American Association of University Professors have criticized the LSU administration’s firing of Buchanan. Last year, the LSU Faculty Senate adopted a resolution censuring the administration for applying “confusing, dangerous, and untenable standards” to Buchanan and called on LSU to reverse its decision.
FIRE is sponsoring Buchanan’s lawsuit, the eleventh in FIRE’s undefeated national Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project.
Founded in 1999, FIRE is the nation’s leading defender of civil liberties in higher education. FIRE’s efforts to preserve liberty on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org.
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Fax: (215) 717-3440
www.thefire.org