Michigan Technological University has reportedly assigned a new instructor for a class previously taught by Dr. Carl Blair, following his controversial remarks against the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter at the university. This change comes in the wake of an audio release by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), capturing Dr. Blair’s disparaging comments about the group’s Freedom Week project, which involved constructing a mock Berlin Wall to mark its historical fall.
In the audio, Dr. Blair criticized the project and the students involved, labeling the activity and participants with negative terms. An email from Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Storer, obtained by Fox News Digital, indicated the cancellation of Dr. Blair’s class scheduled for November 17 and announced a substitute instructor for the remainder of the semester post-Thanksgiving break. The email emphasized Michigan Tech’s commitment to free speech and academic freedom, and expressed regret for any negative experiences students faced in Dr. Blair’s class.
Michigan Tech confirmed the dispatch of an email to students but refrained from commenting on specifics regarding personnel matters, including direct references to Dr. Blair. Dr. Don Lafreniere, Chair of the Department of Social Sciences, and the Dean of Students Office were also mentioned in the email as points of contact for further student concerns.
Dr. Blair, when approached for a comment by YAF’s magazine “The New Guard,” reportedly stood by his statements but declined further comment. YAF responded to the incident, reiterating their commitment to free speech and asserting that First Amendment protections should be universally respected, irrespective of differing viewpoints. They also referred to an instance where their Berlin Wall display was allegedly vandalized by a student, highlighting the rights to free speech and the need for respectful dialogue.
Following the university’s action, Andrew Keys, chairman of Michigan Tech YAF, expressed satisfaction with the university’s support for free speech and its decision not to tolerate faculty actions that contravene this principle.