UPDATE: Bennett’s classes will continue, according to Jodi Walker, UI director of communications.
Walker said classes will be taught by JAMM faculty, but did not know which faculty would be teaching. Bennet’s first class begins 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the UI class schedule.
As of Monday afternoon, the change.org petition to reinstate Bennett had garnered 600 signatures.
Updated 4 p.m. Monday
University of Idaho journalism professor Denise Bennett was placed on administrative leave Thursday after sending an email with expletives to administration officials about grant project funding.
Bennett said she was told in an email earlier this week she had around $450 unspent from a grant project that expired in December. She said she was furious, “penning an email full of the word f—k” to administration officials, among others.
She said she was told about the leave via a phone call Thursday night by Sean Quinlan, dean of the College of Letters and through subsequent text messages.
UI spokesperson Jodi Walker said there is no policy stipulating how a professor is to be contacted when placed on leave.
“(The) policy is they are contacted and then if there is prior approval from the administration, paperwork can follow. That’s our standard policy,” she said.
Attempts to contact Quinlan were directed to Walker.
A petition posted inside the UI Radio-TV Center to reinstate Bennett had garnered nearly a dozen signatures. Bennett also received 62 comments on a Facebook post, many of which were in support of her.
A change.org petition in support of reinstating Bennett has garnered 142 signatures as of Saturday morning.
“Denise is a highly respected and celebrated professor at UI and has worked there teaching, guiding, advising, and mentoring students since 2006,” said Michael Huffstutler, who started the petition.
“We are calling for Denise to be reinstated immediately as this forced leave is both unfounded, and is an immense disservice to students, the university community, and the community as a whole.”
A Facebook group called, “REINSTATE DENISE BENNETT,” has 10 members.
Walker declined to say how long the administrative leave would last.
Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @pfannyyy.