Staffer: U. of Cincinnati Violated His Religious Freedom

Matthew Faulkner, an information technology staff member at the University of Cincinnati, is suing the institution for allegedly violating his freedoms of speech and religion. In the lawsuit he recently filed in a U.S. District Court, Faulkner says that he was asked to give a speech on servant leadership as part of the university's voluntary IT Leadership Academy in September 2013. Faulkner says that, consistent with his religious beliefs, he made several biblical references in his remarks. Several months after that speech, he says, he received a letter from the university's Office of Equal Opportunity and Access accusing him of having violated several university policies. The letter also allegedly asked to refrain from making biblical references going forward. Faulkner was asked to attend sensitivity training, too. He is seeking all disciplinary actions against him to be voided, as well as an unspecified amount in compensatory damages. University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.