Ghent University has announced the adoption of “measures” against Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher at that institution who instigated the public lynching of former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday, accused of plagiarism and found dead in mid-month at his London home.
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“The university takes very seriously the recent public statements made by a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University on this matter,” it says in a statement, adding that it has decided to adopt “appropriate measures within its competences and the applicable regulatory framework,” although it does not specify the concrete actions.
In that text, published on Wednesday, Ghent University rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert declared themselves “shocked” by Arday’s death which, they said, has deeply affected the academic community.
For his part, the controversial American professor Cofnas said on Thursday via a social network that he has been suspended by Ghent University. “I will almost certainly be fired. The decision was made by rector Petra De Sutter, a former leader of the Green Party,” he said.
Cofnas, who has made sensational statements questioning the intellectual capacity of black people, promoted accusations against part of professor Arday’s academic output and pointed to alleged similarities between his doctoral thesis and previous works by other authors.
For its part, Ghent University indicated it is aware of “the questions and concerns” surrounding this matter and understands “that it has affected many people” and said it wants to clarify “how the university is managing this situation.”
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First of all, the statement notes, “Ghent University is shocked by the death of professor Arday. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and students.”
At the same time, the same institution emphasized that it advocates “respect for human dignity,” opposes “discrimination, hatred, and racism,” and places “great importance on academic freedom and open academic debate, even when controversial opinions are expressed.”
However, it qualified, “that freedom is not unlimited; it carries responsibility and may be restricted to protect the rights of others.”
“We do not wish to anticipate possible decisions at this stage, in order to maintain objectivity. It is important to act with transparency, while respecting the confidentiality inherent to personnel files,” the same text states. The university also considered that professor Arday’s death “invites” reflection.
“We hope that what happened serves as a lesson on how we treat each other, both inside and outside the academic sphere, especially when people become the subject of public controversy,” the statement concludes.
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