secure the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who was sentenced to more than eight decades in prison for trying to kill U.S. military members in Afghanistan in 2010. Siddiqui is imprisoned in Fort Worth, around 20 minutes from the synagogue Akram targeted. British police have also ar- rested or detained at least six people in con- nection to the incident. Gulbar Akram, the hostage-taker’s brother, has said his brother suffered from mental health problems. During the stand- off, Gulbar tried to talk his brother into re- leasing the hostages and surrendering, The New York Times reported. “When I phoned him during the siege, I tried to speak, talk him down,” he told the Times. “And he said no, he refused.” He added, “It’s well known, everybody in the town knows, he has mental health issues.” In a statement, President Joe Biden thanked law enforcement and offered “love and strength to the members of Congrega- tion Beth Israel, Colleyville, and the Jewish community.” He added, “But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate — we will stand against antisemitism and against the rise of extremism in this country.” ▼ EDUCATION COUGHING UP CASH L LAST WEEK, A FORMER COLLIN COLLEGE HISTORY PROFESSOR WHO HAD SUED COLLIN COLLEGE ACCEPTED ITS OFFER TO PAY $70,000 AND ATTORNEYS’ FEES. BY SIMONE CARTER ora Burnett says she isn’t a litigious person and “it wasn’t fun” to sue her former employer. But late last year, the former history professor filed a lawsuit against Collin College, claiming that the school had violated her constitutional rights. Last Tuesday, after more than a year of scuffling with the school, Burnett accepted Collin College’s offer to pay her $70,000 plus attorneys’ fees. “For me, getting this clear victory having my First Amendment rights vindicated and notching a win — not just for me but for all professors at public colleges — was really important,” she said. After Collin College made its offer, Bur- nett took some time to consider. It could take years before the case would go to trial and reach a verdict, she said, so she felt it was wisest for her — and the Collin County taxpayers — to go ahead and accept. Burnett estimates that when taking into account her attorneys’ fees and the school’s that Collin College could spend upward of $200,000 altogether. “That’s a lot of money. I mean, that’s not chump change,” she said. “And it’s ultimately the taxpayers of Collin County who are on the hook for that.” Represented by the Foundation for Indi- vidual Rights in Education (FIRE), a free speech nonprofit, Burnett’s public challenge of Collin College touched off a cascade of controversies. Her own battle with the college began in October 2020 after she tweeted during the vice-presidential debate that the moderator needed to speak over Mike Pence until he shut “his little demon mouth up.” From there, Photography by FIRE conservative media outlets picked up the story and Collin College district President Neil Matkin “publicly pilloried” her, she said. In a text exchange between Plano state Rep. Jeff Leach and Matkin, the former asked whether Burnett was paid with tax- payer dollars. Matkin then replied that the history professor had already been on his ra- dar and that he would “deal with it.” Last January, Burnett received a warning from the school after she noted on social media that a former Collin College professor had died of COVID-19. Prior to that, Matkin had upset many when he appeared to down- play the pandemic, saying it had been “blown utterly out of proportion.” Throughout this time, FIRE conveyed to Matkin that it’s unconstitutional to terminate a professor for speaking about a matter of public concern. In February, when Burnett was still employed, Leach tweeted that it was a “BIG WIN” that she’d been fired, appar- ently revealing the administration’s plans. Burnett learned nine days later that Col- lin College would not be renewing her con- tract. So, she and FIRE sued the school. “Lora bravely stood up not just for her own rights, but for the rights of all profes- sors who encounter censorship by their ad- ministrations,” FIRE attorney Greg Greubel said in a statement. “Dr. Burnett’s victory should serve as a warning to overly zealous administrators across the country: if you punish a professor for speaking out, there will be consequences.” Collin College anticipated a successful outcome in court, spokesperson Marisela Cadena-Smith said by email. Still, they ulti- mately “opted to attempt to resolve this liti- gation expeditiously, with certainty, and, by effectuating an early resolution, in the most fiscally responsible way.” Burnett accepted the college’s offer, indi- cating she thought it to be fair even though the accepted amount was “much less than she demanded,” Cadena-Smith said. The early resolution is preferable to engaging in potentially years-long litigation, she added. “In addition to saving on attorneys’ fees and costs, this resolution will prevent the waste of college resources and continued disruption and distraction to our educa- tional mission,” Cadena-Smith said. “As part Lora Burnett says she was terminated from Collin College for political speech. of the resolution the college and its leader- ship did not admit liability which means that Dr. Burnett unequivocally did not pre- vail in the litigation.” (FIRE looks at it a little differently, saying that although Collin College didn’t admit li- ability, “it has effectively chosen to concede the lawsuit by offering judgment in favor of Burnett.”) Collin College is facing additional lawsuits, including one filed by a former professor who alleged multiple protected-speech violations. Yet another former employee sued the school in November, alleging retaliation and race- and disability-based discrimination. Burnett says her win has come at an im- portant time. Many professors across the country are under fire for their speech, both inside and outside the classroom. Conserva- tive ideologues in deep-red states like Texas and Florida are punishing educators for teaching the truth, she said. She hopes that leadership will make positive changes, in- cluding to the college’s policies. But not all the disputes between college professors and administrators over First Amendment rights arise from conservatives targeting educators. Nicholas Meriwether, a philosophy professor at Shawnee State Uni- versity in Ohio, persuaded the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals last year to allow him to con- tinue with a lawsuit he filed after the univer- sity disciplined him for his refusal, on religious grounds, to refer to a transgender female stu- dent by feminine pronouns. The appellate court overturned a lower court decision dis- missing his case, which is still pending. Even though Burnett has gained a judg- ment against the school, she still worries about professors at Collin College and across the country whose rights are under attack. “I am going to be an even more vocal advocate for them,” she said. “Because the only way to protect everyone’s First Amend- ment rights is to bring constant pressure to bear on the government — and Collin Col- lege is the government — to respect and guard free speech. “I’m going to be on that like a duck on a June bug,” she continued. 40 N La 407 NL marLamaLamar St 1 -47 407 N Lamar St Suite 18Suite 180BSi e180Be 180B Da as X 7 202 (903 4 6-4) 45 -47516-475 Dall s,,TX 7520 (90 (903) 456-4751 903)456-4751 DalDallaslas TX 5202X752 2 (903(90903) 4564 X 75202 6-47 1330 NMcDonald St 11 1330 N McDonald Stld St Suite 110 McK 1330 N McDonald133 NMcDonald Suite 110Si e 11 MK McKinney (90 (903) 456-4751 (903 6-4 (90 ) 45 -4751 903) 456-476-4 51 McKinneyMcK nneKiinney TX 75071 (903903 4564 ey,TX 750 1750775 71 6-47 thepotentcbd.com @potent_cbd facebook.com/thepotentcbd (903) 456-4751 Come say hi to your local Cannabis Experts WEEKLY EMAIL D SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY EMAIL LIST www.dallasobserver.com/signup for feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more! go to ENTER TO WIN TICKETS DALLASOBSERVER.COM/FREE/CHEATCODES 99 dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 FEBRUARY 3–9, 2022
