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Monica Casper, dean of the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University, went on Twitter in December and made statements about conservatives that have led to an angry backlash that included threats of violence against the campus, The San Diego Union Tribune reported. She said, “Just so we’re clear on the Right’s agenda: racism good, abortion bad, money good, women bad, capitalism good, sustainability bad, stupidity good, science bad, power good, equality bad, white people good, nonwhite people bad. Stench, indeed.” She also said Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal in the fatal shooting of two people in Wisconsin was an act of white supremacy.
The tweets have caused controversy at San Diego State.
Adela de la Torre recently wrote on Twitter to defend Casper’s right to free speech. But she also chided her dean, saying, “I do not support actions that seek to divide us or undermine civic discourse for any reason.”
Casper, a sociologist, wrote to faculty members to say, “You may know that just before the winter break, I shared tweets through my personal Twitter account. Though I was not tweeting in my capacity as Dean, coverage nonetheless focused on my role here. Stories portrayed the college, the university, and me very poorly and also led to a deluge of disgusting and threatening emails … I deeply regret that SDSU was centered in the media coverage and that members of our community were hurt by the tweets. I remain committed to free speech and academic freedom—for everyone. I also remain focused on creating a humane and collegial workplace, core themes in our planning process.”
