Jodi O'Brien, Marquette, and a 'Legal Situation'

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that Marquette University will be holding listening sessions "after job offer to lesbian scholar rescinded."

On May 6, the JS just called Jodi O'Brien a lesbian in its headline. Now, she's a "lesbian scholar."

Maybe next O'Brien will be a "lesbian genius."

But I digress. About the listening sessions--

Marquette University leaders will hold listening sessions with students and faculty next week in an effort to quell criticism after abruptly cutting ties to a lesbian gender studies scholar who had accepted an offer to become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Word spread among student government leaders and others on campus Friday that the university had scheduled a listening session Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union ballrooms. When asked about those details, a university spokeswoman said the school plans to hold a session for the university community and one for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, but hasn't nailed down details. Friday was the last day of classes for the semester for Marquette students, but some students will be around until the May 23 commencement.

Undergraduates have finals. There will be many more students besides graduating seniors still on campus.

I assume students will have their priorities in order and be studying for finals instead of attending a listening session, but the Journal Sentinel makes it sound as if the meetings were scheduled when few students would be around.

Obviously, that's misleading.

Jodi O'Brien, a professor and department chair at Seattle University - which, like Marquette, is Jesuit - had visited Milwaukee to look for a house after she was offered the College of Arts and Sciences position. However, the school pulled the offer this week, citing published works from O'Brien "relating to Catholic mission and identity."

Some students and professors protested Thursday, saying that the topics of her academic writings, which include sociological studies of vignettes on gay and lesbian sex, were clear before O'Brien was offered the post.

A university spokeswoman had scheduled an interview between President Father Robert A. Wild and a Journal Sentinel reporter and editorial writer Friday, but later canceled the meeting, saying this was now a legal situation.

"Now a legal situation."

That's the news here.

Is O'Brien going to sue Marquette?

That's wonderful.