Identity of Speakers
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Melanie Nipper
Student
OtherNipper is an adjunct gender studies professor
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Classroom
Course Content
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
Other
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
The University of Cincinnati (UC) reversed its reprimand for a professor who failed a student for using the term “biological woman.”
The reprimand was issued on June 14, 2023 by the head of the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, to penalize gender studies professor Melanie Nipper after she failed student Olivia Krolczyk’s assignment for citing biological science.
The Cincinnati Enquirer obtained a copy of a formal reprimand from UC informing Nipper that she violated school policy. According to the paper, “The reprimand directs adjunct instructor Melanie Nipper to complete training about UC’s free speech policy and submit her syllabi for the coming school year to her department head.”
Per the Cincinnati Enquirer, Nipper filed an appeal request and met on-campus with administrators, arguing that failing the student was not in violation of UC’s free speech policy. After the appeal request was filed, the UC decided that the reprimand was “issued in error.”
Nipper’s reprimand was removed from her personnel file, but she was still required to complete training about the university’s free speech policy and submit a syllabus to her department head.
Krolczyk received a new grade and finished her class with an A.
