University of Nebraska wants off group censure list

LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska-lincoln is looking to be removed from a censure list after being criticized for its handling of a confrontation between a university lecturer and a student recruiting for a conservative group.

University officials will form a committee this fall to examine campus policies, the Omaha World-herald reported. A censure by the American Association of University Professors serves as a formal rebuke of a university’s administrators and is typically tied to tenure and academic freedom issues.

The association placed the university on the list in June, saying school officials succumbed to political pressure by suspending and later firing Courtney Lawton. Lawton made a hand gesture last year at undergraduate student Kaitlyn Mullen, who was recruiting on campus for conservative group Turning Point USA.

Lawton, a graduate student lecturer, also called Mullen a “neo-fascist.”

At least three conservative state lawmakers accused the university of being unwelcoming to conservative viewpoints.

Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts said the incident “highlighted concerns about the liberal bent of academia.”

The academic group found that the university had violated Lawton’s academic freedom. It also said she was fired without a fair hearing.

An association representative said getting removed from the list requires changes in regulations, restitution or redress to the faculty members involved and an assessment of the university’s academic freedom.