CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — A University of North Carolina Chapel Hill professor is back in the classroom after less than a week on administrative leave.
“It’s gonna be so good to be back,” Dwayne Dixon said. “I’m so excited to see them. I’ve graded a bunch of papers that I wasn’t able to access last week. I feel really caught up on work. We have really important things to cover this week.”
Dixon, who teaches Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the university, was placed on leave last Monday following allegations he advocated for politically motivated violence.
“There’s no playbook for this, there’s no blueprint, there’s no template. So of course, people probably made poor decisions, but we can improve on that, and that’s also the goal of the university,” Dixon said.
The administrative leave stemmed from Dixon’s alleged ties with Redneck Revolt, a group the Counter Extremism Project says called for knowledge of firearms for self-defense and to confront “far right and fascists”.
The group’s website says it disbanded in 2019.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: UNC professor on administrative leave due to alleged advocacy for ‘politically motivated violence,’ university says
“To claim that I’m a safety risk eight years after my actions in Charlottesville and in the streets of Durham indicates either incompetency or mendacity,” Dixon said.
The university’s decisions sparked a protest on campus last Wednesday, with more than a hundred supporters lashing out against the administration over free speech concerns.
In addition the protesters, the university faced quick backlash from the ACLU and the American Association of University Professors, with both groups standing by Dixon’s side when he returned to campus Wednesday.
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“Turning Point USA is still targeting Professor Dixon and their finger-pointing is apparently all it took for UNC administrators to have him placed on administrative leave last week,” said Michael Palm, a UNC professor and president of the UNC Chapel Hill Chapter of the AAUP.
Last Friday, just five days after placing Dixon on leave, the university announced his immediate reinstatement, citing a thorough assessment that found he is not a threat to UNC and did not violate any university policies.
In a statement, Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing Dean Stoyer said in part, “The university continues to reaffirm its commitment to rigorous debate, respectful engagement, and open dialogue in support of free speech, while fulfilling our responsibility to protect the physical safety of the Carolina community.”
An online petition to reinstate Dixon gathered more than 1,200 signatures before his return.
