Wheaton College Professors Show Support for Tenured Professor Who Donned Hijab

Photo credit: Dr. Larycia Hawkins Facebook page

Wheaton College returned from winter break this past week and several professors wore full academic regalia, including hats, hoods and robes, to show their solidarity with a tenured professor who the evangelical Christian College is trying to fire for donning a hijab and saying Muslims and Christians worship the same God, the Chicago Tribune reports. One professor, Michael Mangis, says he will wear a cap and gown everyday to classes until Larycia Hawkins is reinstated.

Some professors also say the college, which has seen more turnover in recent years, may now have a difficult time attracting new teachers and keeping the ones they have, according to the article.

“Faculty of a certain ilk won’t stay long at Wheaton,” Ezer Kang, a tenured psychology professor, told the Chicago Tribune. “Wheaton has potential, and Wheaton knows that Wheaton needs faculty that are not snug fits with the broader evangelical community. Those faculty don’t stay because it becomes intolerable.”

Meanwhile, an online petition to reinstate Hawkins has received over 82,000 signatures. You can view that petition here.

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