Two Collin College professors say they are being pushed out of their jobs in part because they challenged the administration’s COVID-19 response.
Professors Suzanne Jones and Audra Heaslip say they were called before college leadership last week and told their contracts would not be renewed at the end of this semester. Both had previously questioned the way school officials handled the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was told that I had put outside pressure on the college reopening during COVID,” Heaslip said of her meeting with school leaders.
It’s the latest example of the Collin College administration infringing on employees’ rights and lashing out against those who are critical, some faculty and advocates allege.
Collin College Pushes Out Another Professor
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A second professor from Collin College in Texas said she was told her contract would not be renewed, with college administrators citing her criticism of the college’s COVID-19 reopening plan. A number of professors at the college have spoken out about its push for in-person instruction this academic year and its general handling of pandemic-related issues including the death of faculty member Iris Meda. But Audra Heaslip, professor of humanities, who helped draft a June Faculty Council resolution urging more online courses as coronavirus case counts rose in Texas, was accused of “bringing outside pressure” on the college to go 100 percent online, she said. Heaslip did speak to media outlets about the college’s reopening, but she never pushed for 100 percent online instruction during the pandemic.