HARTFORD, CONN (AP) — The president of a private college in Hartford, Connecticut, says the commentary of a professor who was criticized for his social media posts is protected by academic freedom and he didn’t violate any college policies.
Threats related to posts by Trinity College sociology professor Johnny Williams led the college to close its campus one day last month.
Trinity president Joanne Berger-Sweeney says Williams shared a piece that concluded with a call to show indifference to the lives of bigots. Williams has said his posts were twisted to sound as though they referred to last month’s congressional shooting in Virginia.
Berger-Sweeney said Friday she doesn’t condone the professor’s posts but supports his right to express his opinions. She affirmed a dean’s conclusion Williams didn’t violate policies.
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