University Of Pennsylvania Suspends Law Prof. Amy Wax For Making ‘Incessant Racist, Sexist & Homophobic’ Statements

After years of debate over Amy Wax, the University of Pennsylvania has now reprimanded the law professor for her controversial statements about race.

Following a decision by a university committee made public, the law professor now faces a one-year suspension with half-pay benefits intact. In addition, she will also face a public reprimand issued by university leadership, the loss of her named chair and summer pay, and she will be required not to in public appearances that she is not speaking as a member of Penn faculty. 

These reprimands are now occurring after a review process that took nearly two years.

While the sanctions imposed on Wax are heavy, they come after many calls from people looking to see her fired – which will not happen. 

In a statement, Penn said that the findings were final, noting that Wax had been “engaging in years of flagrantly unprofessional conduct within and outside of the classroom that breached her responsibilities as a teacher to offer an equal learning opportunity to all students.”

Wax began to receive criticism for her comments about race when she co-authored an op-ed that was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017. In an interview later that year, Wax said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class, and rarely, rarely, in the top half.”

In 2022, more people started to speak out about her remarks when she said, “As long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration.”

In light of more students and alumni issuing complaints, Theodore Ruger, the former Dean of Penn Law School, started a faculty review process against her, stating that Wax displayed “a callous and flagrant disregard” for students by making “incessant racist, sexist, xenophobic and homophobic actions and statements.”

Five board members reviewed Wax’s charges and unanimously found that she committed a major violation of the University’s behavioral standards.

Sanctions against Wax were approved by the Penn President at the time, Liz Magill, but Wax appealed the decision to the school’s Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility.

Throughout all of this, Wax continued to resist. In November 2023, she invited white nationalist Jared Taylor to speak to her class – in which he talked about how the country would be better off with fewer Asians. 

Wax’s sanctions will not take effect until the 2025-26 school year. 

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