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Article: Free speech v. hostile environment: purifying the groves of academe. (Snyder v. Chicago Theological Seminary) (Illinois) (Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Trial
- Article date:
- August 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Where is the line between academic freedom and speech that creates a hostile environment? A lawsuit by a theologian seeks to clarify the issue.
Professor Graydon Snyder is suing the Chicago Theological Seminary, his employer of 30 years, for defamation of character. The administration circulated a notice to all the faculty, staff, and students that Snyder had been reprimanded for verbal sexual harassment. Snyder says this notice was humiliating and misrepresented the underlying incident.
During a class on the different definitions of sin held by Judaism and Christianity, Snyder had discussed a parable taken from the Talmud. The story involves a workman ...