A Tennessee Tech University professor has been branded a ‘racist’ in fliers posted around campus allegedly by his fellow colleagues for serving as an adviser to Turning Point USA.
The fliers include a picture of Andrew Donadio, who serves as an adviser for the conservative student organization’s chapter, while telling him and the students he leads they ‘are not welcome’ on campus.
Surveillance pictures appear to show professors Julia Gruber and Andrew Smith spreading the fliers around campus.
The fliers call out the Turning Point USA for starting the website Professor Watchlist – which was created ‘to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom,’ according to its website.
Andrew Donadio, who serves as an adviser for Turning Point USA, has been called ‘racist’ in a flyer distributed on campus by his colleagues
Donadio was joined in an interview about the fliers by Tennessee Tech’s Turning Point chapter president Gittle Sciolis
A flier claims Donadio is racist for serving as an adviser to Turning Point USA
The flier had included an image of Donadio on the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones
‘This racist college professor thought it would be a great idea to help start a Tennessee Tech chapter for this national hate group, where racist students can unite to harass, threaten, intimidate, and terrorize persons of color, feminists, liberals, and the like, especially their teachers,’ the flier reads.
‘Their organization created a national ‘Professor Watchlist’ to harasses and intimidate progressive educators, including many women, African American, and Muslim professors.’
It continues: ‘Professor Donadio and Turning Point USA. You are on our list. Your hate and hypocrisy are not welcome at Tennessee Tech!’
Gruber and Smith now face possible disciplinary action from the university, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Last week, the university officials said that the professors had violated a policy requiring employees to ‘conduct themselves fairly, honestly, in good faith and in accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards,’ according to the outlet.
Inside Higher Ed reported that the policy also requires faculty members to create ‘an environment that promotes academic freedom, diversity, fair treatment and respect for all faculty, staff, students and the general public.’
The controversy started in February after Donadio, an assistant professor of nursing, celebarted the local Algood Middle School Redskins keeping its name.
Sports teams across the country – including the Washington Football Team which was also formerly the Redskins – have come under fire for using the offensive word for Native Americans.
Surveillance pictures appear to show professor Julia Gruber distributing the fliers on campus
Surveillance pictures appear to show professor Andrew Smith distributing the fliers on campus
The local Putnam County School Board had considered forming a committee to rename the school’s mascot after outrage from local activists, according to the outlet. However, only one board member voted to form the committee – effectively halting any discussion on the name change.
Donadio, who was reportedly seated behind Gruber at the school board meeting, clapped loudly. Gruber told Inside Higher Ed that she found the clapping offensive because there were Native Americans present during the vote.
After the school board meeting, Gruber and Smith allegedly organized posting the flyers and allegedly modeled the fliers after the same kinds of messaging that appears on Turning Point USA’s ‘Professor Watchlist’ website.
Donadio, who also serves as a county commissioner, told Inside Higher Ed that he had opposed the name change and did in fact clap after the vote.
‘I don’t like changing things like that just because you have a small group of people who complain. I’m not a fan of that,’ he told the outlet.
Pictured: English professor Andrew Smith and German professor Julia Gruber in an ad for a radio interview on April 20, 2021
Pictured: English teacher Andrew Smith is seen in a Tennessee Tech faculty photo holding a ‘diversity advocate’ award
Donadio called the fliers a ‘vile attack on the students’ in a statement made to DailyMail.com, in which he refuted that the fliers had anything to do with the vote on the mascot name.
‘Nothing in the vile attack on the students of TP-USA and myself has anything to do with a middle-school mascot or my role as a Putnam County Commissioner,’ he told DailyMail.com.
‘This is about a cowardly attack on the students of Turning Point USA. An attack deemed to be “intended to harass, intimidate, and threaten” the students of TP-USA, myself and other faculty and staff who hold a different point of view than the attackers.’
Donadio told DailyMail.com that the attack was launched ‘because students with a conservative viewpoint asked me to be a faculty advisor.’
‘Why do I feel I’m not a racist? Because I’m not. It is nearly impossible to prove a negative so I will not entertain that folly – that’s why those on the other side of political spectrum use that horrid word. It is an intellectually lazy insult,’ he said.
‘The other side is desperate to find some kind of defense for their vile actions. They want a defense for attacking students and a colleague in the most cowardly way. There isn’t one.’
Donadio also appeared on Fox News on Saturday to refute his ‘racist’ label after the fliers were distributed.
‘I’m not sure why they would decide to attack the students and myself and create an environment that’s hostile to communication, that’s threatening and intimidating,’ Donadio told Fox News.
‘They are experts in language, they knew exactly what they were doing.’
Pictured: Nursing professor Andrew Donadio is seen in a Navy uniform
Pictured: Nursing professor Andrew Donadio is seen holding a pro-Second Amendment rights mug
Gruber is an associate professor of German and Smith is an English instructor, according to the outlet.
Donadio was joined in the interview by Tennessee Tech’s Turning Point chapter president Gittle Sciolis.
‘It’s been a crazy ride since the beginning. It’s very hard hearing those words coming out of people who are supposed to be your mentors, especially from a university that you love so much,’ Sciolis said.
‘It’s been very difficult. There has been no facts or anything behind their words, so baseless claims.’
Donadio said that neither Gruber nor Smith have contacted him since the fliers were distributed.
‘I didn’t look for this fight. I simply decided to be a faculty adviser for a student group that talks about free speech,’ he said.