Event Timeline
December 19, 2015
Dr. Landa organizes a group of Oberlin alumni to write an open letter that addresses anti-Semitism on Oberlin’s campus. Because she regards him as her mentor, she informs Dr. O’Flahavan about the letter and expresses concern that only Jewish alumni seem interested.
December 20, 2015
Dr. O’Flahavan responds in an email, and characterizes anti-Semitism as an issue “that you care about” and says that others “may not care about it.”
January 7, 2016
Dr. Landa adds "University of Haifa Affiliate Professor" to her email subject line.
January 18, 2016
Dr. Landa informs Dr. Hultgren in an email that she will be appearing in the media about her work addressing anti-Semitism on the Oberlin campus.
March 2016
Dr. Landa joins the Academic Engagement Network (AEN). She informs Dr. O’Flahavan in an email that her anti-BDS work has transitioned from leading alumni efforts to joining faculty efforts.
April 7, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan abruptly withdraws his participation from a presentation at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association on April 12, in which Dr. Landa would be discussing her research in Israel.
April 7, 2016
Dr. Landa responds, "I guess I can do it all."
April 12, 2016
Dr. Landa presents the paper alone.
April 18, 2016
With prior approval, Dr. Landa travels to Israel for ten days to celebrate Passover. In compliance with university policy, she teaches classes over Skype with her teaching assistants in attendance.
April 22, 2016
Dr. Hultgren sends an email to Dr. Landa, stating: “ This truly is quite out of bounds of acceptability with regard to campus policy. It puts you in a very compromised position with regard to your responsibilities here."
April 25, 2016
Dr. Landa returns to the United States and returns to work.
April 29, 2016
Dr. Landa informs Dr. O’Flahavan that she had received a grant from the Academic Engagement Network to create a partnership with the Levinsky College of Education in Israel.
Anti-Semitic images posted by Professor Joy Karega of Oberlin
Oberlin College Symposium on Civil Discourse
Left to right: Chloe Valdary, Kenneth Marcus, Melissa Landa.
November 2016
Dr. Landa seeks the support of the University Ombuds Officer, who suggests that Dr. Landa be permitted to return to the elementary education faculty in an auxiliary capacity.
November 2016
Dr. Hultgren rejects the suggestion of the Ombuds Officer.
November 2016
Dr. Hultgren circulates a New York Times op-ed that condemns the "Professor Watchlist." Former Oberlin Professor Joy Karega is on the list.
January 2017
Dr. Landa informs Dr. O'Flahavan that her uncle has died and that she needs to sit shiva. As she faces a publication deadline, she requests Dr. O'Flahavan's help editing her paper that contains her research in Israel. (Despite his refusal to present the paper back in April 2016, Dr. Landa has left him as the second author.)
January 2017
Dr. O'Flahavan refuses to help Dr. Landa and instructs her to remove his name from the paper.
January 9, 2017
Dr. Landa requests access to Dr. O'Flahavan's class so that she can collect data and continue her research with her colleagues in Israel.
January 9, 2017
Dr. O'Flahavan replies in an email, "You are not welcome during any class sessions or any on-site team learning meetings, or PDS sessions."
February 2017
Dr. Landa files a Faculty Grievance against Dr. O’Flahavan and Dr. Hultgren. She hires an attorney to represent her case.
March 10, 2017
Dr. Margaret Peterson sends Dr. Landa a hostile email, saying "I just have no interest in having anything to do with you that is not strictly work related." Dr. Margaret Peterson is listed as a witness for Dr. O'Flahavan and Dr. Hultgren for the Grievance Hearings.
March 20, 2017
UMD's Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Ross Lewin, sends a letter of commendation about Dr. Landa to Dr. Hultgren and Dr. O'Flahavan.
March 20, 2017
Dr. Landa is never informed by Dr. Hultgren or Dr. O'Flahavan about the letter of commendation.
April 2017
Dr. O'Flahavan calls a meeting, which Dr. Landa attends. She notes that Dr. O'Flahavan has included her original work in a document and requests that he cite her work appropriately.
April 2017
Dr. O'Flahavan responds, "the list of citations and citation practices is not the focus of the MSDE group at this stage of the process."
April 2017
Dr. Landa informs him that she will make the appropriate citation to credit her work and that she will notify the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) about the correction. Dr. O'Flahavan replies, "Very good."
April 2017
On the first night of Passover, Dr. Hultgren sends Dr. Landa an email that references Dr. Landa's communication with MSDE, stating, "Please refrain from such a lack of respect for appropriate professional boundaries in the future."
April 12, 2017
Dr. Landa’s attorney sends a “cease and desist” email to Dean Wiseman, noting the hostile work environment that Dr. Landa is experiencing.
April 2017
The Dean does not respond to the attorney's email.
May 2017
The Grievance Hearings begin.
May 2017
In their evidence to the Grievance Board, Dr. Hultgren and Dr. O’Flahavan discuss Dr. Landa’s antiBDS work at Oberlin, and include newspaper articles in which Dr. Landa is quoted.
June 5, 2017
The Grievance Board rules that although it was within Dr. Hultgren’s right to reassign Dr. Landa, they hope Dr. Landa will be put back on the elementary education faculty to teach and complete her research.
June 8, 2017
Dr. Hultgren sends an email to Dr. Landa in Israel, informing her that her contract will not be renewed. Dr. Hultgren provides no explanation.
June 19, 2017
Dr. Landa receives an email from President Loh's office, with an attachment dated June 9, that approves the recommendations of the Grievance Board.
June 22, 2017
Dr. Landa files a claim of discrimination and retaliation with the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct at the University of Maryland.
July 25, 2017
The Office of Civil Rights begins its investigation.
September 2017
Dr. Landa is referred to attorney Ari Wilkenfeld by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and he begins to represent her. The JCRC creates a petition demanding a thorough investigation.
November 2017
The UMD Office of Civil Rights determines that no discrimination or retaliation had occurred. Their report shows that the investigator contacted only two of Dr. Landa's eight witnesses.
December 2017
Ari Wilkenfeld informs the University of Dr. Landa's intent to sue and proposes a settlement to avoid a lawsuit.
December 2017
UMD provides an inadequate response, which is rejected by Dr. Landa's attorney.
January 2018
Dr. Landa files a claim with the EEOC and awaits a "Right to Sue" letter.
September 2016
Dr. Landa organizes a symposium at Oberlin College about civil discourse on campus, and appears in the press. (Kenneth Marcus sits on the panel.)
September 2016
Dr. Landa requests that she be permitted to create new course syllabi to be counted as “Department Service,” as she prepares to apply for a promotion.
October 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan denies Dr. Landa’s request. Dr. O’Flahavan appoints Dr. Margaret Peterson to teach the course from which Dr. Landa was removed. Dr. Peterson had been on the faculty for three years; Dr. Landa for ten. Dr. Peterson had been Dr. Landa's teaching assistant a few years prior.
May 5, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan removes Dr. Landa from the literacy course she had helped to create and taught for over ten years. This removal prevented Dr. Landa from establishing the partnership with the Levinsky College/doing her research/maintaining her role in the Elementary Education Program.
May 19, 2016
Dr. Landa meets with Dr. O’Flahavan and Dr. Hultgren to express her concern about being reassigned and being prevented from continuing her research with colleagues in Israel.
May 22, 2016
Dr. Hultgren does not reverse Dr. O’Flahavan’s decision.
May 25, 2016
Dr. Landa sends a text to Dr. O’Flahavan to tell him that his decision was creating serious difficulties for her and causing her professional embarrassment. She writes, "Just to be clear: Your actions are preventing me from collaborating with my Israeli colleagues."
May 25, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan replies, “I am not reconsidering the decision.”
June 9, 2016
Dr. Landa emails Dr. O’Flahavan to request that she teach a different course that would enable her to complete her research and remain a part of the elementary education faculty.
June 9, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan informs Dr. Landa that no courses in the elementary education program are available. He subsequently assigns several courses to Doctoral students to teach, violating a university policy regarding the “pecking order” for course assignments.
September 2016
Joy Karega is fired from Oberlin College and Dr. Landa in quoted in the press given her central role in having Dr. Karega removed.
January 18, 2016
Dr. Hultgren responds in an email, saying, “Too bad these patterns continue to spark the worst in campus climate.”
February 19, 2016
Dr. Landa informs Dr. O’Flahavan in an email about Oberlin Professor Joy Karega’s online antisemitic posts and expresses concern about how to respond.
February 20, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan criticizes her efforts, writing “Have you done the work of de-centering yourself in this group... Let the press do the digging.”
February 22, 2016
Dr. Landa shows Joy Karega’s antisemitic posts to Dr. O’Flahavan.
February 22, 2016
Dr. O’Flahavan states that Joy Karega is free to say what she chooses.
The outline of events demonstrating how the UMD administration responded to Dr. Landa's extracurricular advocacy for Israel and against anti-Semitism.