Suit filed against Emporia State by dismissed faculty members

A federal suit filed by 11 former faculty members at Emporia State University charges that they lost their jobs because they had tenure, The Kansas Reflector reported.

The suit is against top administrators and members of the Kansas Board of Regents.

“These defendants saw tenure as an impediment to terminating tenured faculty who were ‘problematic’ concerning issues disfavored by the ESU administration,” the lawsuit says. “These issues included being members or former members of the faculty senate committee, being perceived to or having friction with the administration, policy sticklers, liberals, advocates, unionizers, and department or campus leaders.”

Emporia State has said the faculty members, and others, lost their jobs for financial reasons.