University of the Cumberlands

After doing an unrelated search on the Internet, I came across a very interesting article, which addresses, in-depth, a piece of the University of the Cumberland's history (neigh, Cumberland College).

Apparently, many, many moons ago, in 2003, Robert Day, a professor in the department of social work, was tried for high treason, and subsequently found guilty, before a court headed by none other than the president of the college, James H. Taylor.

Back in my day, as a student at Cumberland College, I had Mr. Day for sociology. He did not strike me as a "pharisee," as implied by Dr. Taylor, in the transcript. So what's the story behind this mysterious hearing?

It all seems to go back to a website that Mr. Day founded and authored, with fellow colleagues, who have remained anonymous, which criticized the College for staff layoffs resulting from what he termed as "a lack of faculty governance...and a general fear of pressing President Taylor for changes or for clearer explanations of the college's financial situation."

In a stunning display of gross abuse of power (which is not atypical of Cumberland College then or today), Mr. Day was stripped of his professorship and sent packing. Not to mention, he was told by the Williamsburg Police Department, under the orders of President Taylor, to stay off of the College's premises, or face "criminal prosecution."

As the article shows, President Taylor denies the allegation that his initial meeting with Mr. Day was to dismiss him from his position as a professor of social work. Instead, we find Dr. Taylor's subordinates, as usual, doing his dirty work. In this case, they communicated to the department's chair, Dr. James Bailey, that Mr. Day would be dismissed during the hearing. Although, from the transcript of the hearing, it is obvious that while Mr. Day offers the idea of his resignation before being asked for it by the school's president, he had few options afforded him during the meeting.

All of this is typical of Cumberland College's strong-armed tactics of intimidation, which they carried over in their summary dismissal of a homosexual student.