Dear administrators at Suffolk University Law School: Your problem with Michael Avery is not going to go away (and not just because he has tenure).
During the week of Veterans Day, it was reported that Michael Avery, who is a Suffolk Law Professor with a huge chip on his shoulder when it comes to sending care packages to troops serving overseas, had gone on a long rampage about a whole bunch of anti-military mumbo-jumbo. Not long over the report hit the internet, Suffolk released a wacky statement in which they tried their best to be supportive of everyone and everything.
Did they actually think that was going to work?
Now, and adjunct law professor currently in Kabul has cut all of his ties with Suffolk because of Avery, and Suffolk is now in the uncomfortable position of de facto supporting Avery’s comments against a the military.
So, what should the school do now?
Under a normal circumstance, having an adjunct law professor ”resign” wouldn’t be big news, but these are not normal times for a law school that is used to simply disappointing its own students.
People should not take Avery so seriously. He is just an old man, who didn’t take his nap that day, and was just feeling a little cranky. Unfortunately, Robert Roughsedge though he was being serious.
Roughsedge is a U.S. Army Reserve Major and was an adjunct professor at Suffolk. This is his story according to Fox News:
”In response to Avery’s email, Roughsedge submitted his letter of resignation on Monday, telling WTXF in a telephone interview that the email is ”hate speech.”
”It’s basically like a 5-year-old throwing a temper tantrum,” he told the station. ”That is not how we teach our students to rationally look at the issues…We want rational adult discourse and that is not something I would tolerate in my class and it is not something the school should tolerate from one of its professors.”
Meanwhile, Suffolk is doing everything they possibly can to try and shove the good ole’ red, white, and blue down everyone’s throat. They even installed new flat-screen TV’s on every floor of the building, and made them tune into the same image: a picture of their ”Operation Gratitude” idea. The one where they’re sending the care packages to military stationed overseas.
Suffolk is trying much too hard. They keep trying to push away the problem, when what they really need to do is just come right out and say it: ”Nobody here agrees with Avery. We think he is a grouchy old man, just like you do.” We need to make fun of him, and then move on.
Honestly Suffolk, quite trying to sugar-coat it. Don’t fire the man, don’t cover every inch of your entire campus with American flags, just try to make a little fun of Avery for holding such ridiculously extreme viewpoints.