Kent State University President Beverly Warren is distancing the college from a professor who’s being investigated by the FBI for possible ties to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
In an email to university faculty and students on Wednesday, Warren blasted associate professor Julio Pino for his history of anti-Israel comments.
“We continue to find Julio Pino’s comments reprehensible and counter to our core values of civil discourse and respect,” Warren wrote. “As a university, we do not defend his views, and he does not speak on behalf of Kent State or members of our community.”
She assured students that the FBI believes there is “no indication of a threat to campus.”
“Campus safety continues to be our top priority at Kent State,” she said, “and we remain committed to providing a safe learning environment for our community.”
Pino, who has denied any involvement with the radical Muslim group, has a history of unpopular opinions that have landed him in the headlines several times in the past couple of decades.
In 2002, he wrote a column in the Kent Stater eulogizing an 18-year-old suicide bomber. In 2005 and 2006, he wrote letters to the paper to criticize American policy in the Middle East. In 2009, he was interviewed by the Secret Service about his beliefs. In 2011, he shouted “Death to Israel!” at a public lecture by a former Israeli diplomat. In 2014, he accused “academic friends” of causing the deaths of 1,400 Palestinians.
Tweets offer criticism
A search of Warren’s Twitter handle showed she had received hundreds of tweets, many criticizing the university for allowing Pino to teach even after his controversial behavior.
“Professors who advocate Islamic terrorism have no place in our open society. ‘Nuff said,” wrote Norman Birnberg on Twitter.
Others went so far as to call for Pino’s termination.
“Then fire him! Don’t employ a supporter of terrorism,” wrote Dan Wagner on Twitter. “My son will never be permitted to attend Kent State.”
Professors of law say the answer is simple: Pino’s comments are protected under “academic freedom” rules.
Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, said academic freedom is afforded to tenured professors like Pino.
“Whether you like his ideas or not, part of the idea behind academic freedom is the ability to say things that others don’t like. Simply having dissenting ideas or saying something that’s not socially acceptable is not ground for termination,” Benza said, explaining the protection is provided to allow professors to challenge the status quo without consequence.
“If he’s tenured, there’s very little they can do to him at this point,” Benza said. “If there’s a conviction, then maybe the university has some power.”
Jonathan Witmer-Rich, a law professor at Cleveland State University, said the FBI is likely investigating whether Pino broke federal terrorism support laws. Verbally supporting a terrorist organization is not a crime, he said — in fact, it’s protected free speech — but “materially” supporting the Islamic State would be a federal crime.
“Simply expressing admiration or support in a ‘you’re doing a great job’ sort of way, that’s not material support,” Witmer-Rich said. “It becomes material support when it’s actionable or tangible, like if he was sending money or recruiting people to travel and join the ISIS command structure or commit a terrorist attack.”
Details elusive
The FBI remains mum on what they’re investigating regarding Pino. Emily Mills, a student journalist at Kent State who the FBI interviewed regarding several stories she wrote about Pino, reported agents told her they were looking into Pino’s “alleged ties to the Islamic State.”
Pino, in an interview Tuesday evening, denied any connection with the Islamic State.
“I’ve never broken the law. I support no violence or violent organizations,” he said. “One man or one woman’s interpretation of events can be very different from another’s. As they say, ‘Haters gonna hate.’ Truth always prevails, and truth will prevail in this case.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.