A Michigan professor who was suspended for making a provocative video for his history students won’t be returning to class any time soon.
A federal judge rejected Barry Mehler’s request for immediate reinstatement Wednesday and set a March 7 hearing on his bid for a preliminary injunction.
Mehler, 74, was suspended with pay on Jan. 11 after making a sarcastic 14-minute video that included profanity and criticism of Ferris State University’s COVID-19 policies. His attorneys said the professor was wrongly punished for expressing free speech.
Mehler called students “vectors of disease” and said they could skip in-person classes and still get a good grade by following course requirements posted online. The video has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube.
