Professors’ new worry: What if their words go viral?

When Drexel University professor George Ciccariello-Maher tweeted about wanting “white genocide” for Christmas, the university’s phone lines were overwhelmed.

Last month, after tweets saying “the narrative of white victimization” was behind the Las Vegas massacre, Drexel placed him on leave, citing “growing” threats and public safety.

After Princeton University professor of African-American studies Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor called President Donald Trump a “racist, sexist megalomaniac” in a commencement speech, threats led her to cancel public appearances.

In June, Trinity College in Connecticut shut down its campus in response to threats to a professor who shared Facebook posts that were seen as anti-white.

As such incidents have become more common, professors across the nation are asking themselves: Do I have to worry about what I say?

It’s a complicated question, professors and administrators say, and one unique to a time when divisive politics and social media collide with longstanding questions about academic freedom.

“Unfortunately, the answer is yes, they should be concerned. What’s that saying? Be afraid. Be very afraid,” said Michael Sachs, a kinesiology professor at Temple University who heads its faculty senate. “Unfortunately, the political climate is such that anything one says in a public setting … can very easily get scrutinized.”