Hamline U. faculty call on President Miller to step down over Islamophobia controversy

Josh Verges, Pioneer Press
Updated ·2 min read
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Hamline University’s full-time faculty on Tuesday asked President Fayneese Miller to resign over her administration’s handling of a Muslim student’s complaint about an adjunct professor who showed ancient art in class that depicted the Prophet Muhammad.

Various Hamline administrators have said that what took place in an October art history class was “undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic” and “an act of intolerance.” And Hamline rescinded its offer to have the adjunct professor, Erika Lopez Prater, teach again in the spring.

But after a wave of criticism from across the country, Miller conceded last week that she mishandled the episode.

In a joint statement Jan. 17 with the chair of Hamline’s board of trustees, Miller said “sometimes we misstep” and that it was “flawed” to have used the word “Islamophobic” to describe the incident.

On the same day, Lopez Prater sued the school for defamation and religious discrimination in Ramsey County District Court.

Hamline’s full-time faculty held a meeting Monday where they voted 71-12, with nine abstentions, to support a statement calling for Miller’s resignation, according to Jim Scheibel, a business professor and president of the faculty council.

“We are distressed that members of the administration have mishandled this issue and great harm has been done to the reputation of Minnesota’s oldest university,” the statement read, in part. “… As we no longer have faith in President Miller’s ability to lead the university forward, we call upon her to immediately tender her resignation to the Hamline University Board of Trustees.”

The faculty vote is just the latest indictment of Miller’s administration for infringing on academic freedom.

The American Association of University Professors said Monday that it was sending a “committee of inquiry” to Hamline’s campus to investigate the decision not to bring Lopez Prater back for the spring semester.

Meanwhile, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has been circling the St. Paul private university’s campus this week with a mobile billboard chiding Hamline for censorship. FIRE also filed a complaint with Hamline’s accreditor over academic freedom concerns.

Many Muslims find visual depictions of the Prophet blasphemous. But art history scholars have said the art Lopez Prater showed in class is commonly used in academic settings. Defenders also note Lopez Prater thoroughly warned students about the content of her class and gave them the opportunity to opt out.

While Jaylani Hussein, head of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has criticized Lopez Prater and supported Hamline’s initial response, CAIR’s national office overruled him, saying they’ve found no evidence Lopez Prater “acted with Islamophobic intent.”

The Muslim Public Affairs Council also has supported the professor.

A Hamline spokesman said Tuesday afternoon that Miller and her team were discussing how to respond to the faculty vote.

Miller, who took office in 2015, is Hamline’s first African-American and second female president.

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