Monday 1 August 2022 07:42 PM Michigan professor suspended for calling students 'vectors of disease' settles ... trends now
An unhinged tenured Michigan professor who called his students 'vectors of disease' and warned them to 'keep your f**king distance' settled his free speech lawsuit against the university where he taught for $95,000 and agreed to retire.
As part of the deal with Ferris State University, the irritated educator Barry Mehler agreed to a three-year gag order, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by the Associated Press.
The professor will have to pay $60,000 if he publicly criticizes the college during that period.
The judge in the case denied his request to be reinstated.
Dr. Barry Mehler, a tenured history professor at Ferris State University in Michigan, called his students 'vectors of disease' in a pre-semester video published on Sunday
Ferris State (pictured) said Mehler has been placed on leave while his conduct is investigated, but Mehler's attorney now says the university violated his First Amendment rihts
Mehler was suspended in January after he posted a 14-minute orientation video for his history class peppered with profanity and instructions about the syllabus, grades, plagiarism, classroom attendance and COVID-19 protocols.
In his lawsuit against the college, he said the suspension violated his First Amendment rights and he argued that his vile tirade was part of his 'style' that he had been applauded for by administrators in the past.
'The university should be celebrating and defending Dr. Mehler, not summarily disciplining him,' his lawyer Matthew Hoffer said in a letter.
'Dr. Mehler has been inundated with letters of support from current students, former students, and university faculty as well as students, educators and law professors from around the world,' Hoffer added.
In the video, the professor, who was upset that students were not required to be vaccinated, told
