Graduate student readmitted after 5-month expulsion for Facebook comments

A graduate student in the School of Education was readmitted Wednesday after a five-month expulsion stemming from a complaint he posted on his Facebook page, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Matthew Werenczak was expelled from Syracuse University in September of 2011 for complaining on Facebook about a Concerned Citizens Action Program representative's comment he heard at his student teaching assignment at Danforth Middle School.

Werenczak said the CCAP representative, who is black, made the following comment on July 20: “We need to start hiring our teachers from historically black colleges.”

Werenczak, who is white, posted in response, “Just making sure we’re okay with racism. It’s not enough I’m busting my ass tutoring in the worst school in the city, I suppose I oughta be black or stay in my own side of town.”

On Sept. 7, Werenczak received a letter from Jeffery Mangram, the SU social studies education coordinator, telling him his post resulted in him being expelled from the education school. The school found the comments “unprofessional, offensive and insensitive," Mangram wrote.

The letter stipulated that Werenczak could be reinstated to the university if he completed three steps: attending anger management counseling, completing a course on cultural diversity and writing a reflective paper.

In December, Werenczak emailed the school to alert them he had completed all three steps. But by January, the committee to decide on Werenczak's reinstatement had not yet convened.

Werenczak then contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. FIRE wrote to Chancellor Nancy Cantor about its concern over Werenczak's right to freedom of expression. FIRE claims the university did not respond, so it issued a press release about Werenczak’s case Wednesday. Werenczak received an email from Mangram the same day saying Werenczak is allowed to participate in the spring semester of student teaching.

On Thursday, FIRE Vice President Adam Kissel wrote an editorial for The Huffington Post.

“You shouldn't get expelled for innocent personal feelings you express on Facebook,” Kissel said. “And such comments wouldn't (or shouldn't) get you fired if you were already a public school teacher.”