Professor Says Hofstra Refusal Of Virtual Class Is Discrimination

GARDEN CITY, NY —A Hofstra University professor, Arthur Dobrin, has lodged a formal complaint against his employer, alleging that the school's refusal to allow him to teach virtually during the coronavirus pandemic is a medical and age-discrimination issue. Dobrin, who taught at the university for over three decades as a full professor, received the prestigious professor emeritus rank after he retired. He's taught a media ethics class for six years as an adjunct since his retirement.

When Hofstra moved to virtual instruction last spring, Dobrin finished his course via Zoom like his colleagues. When the university asked him to teach a course in Fall 2020, however, he was told in-person instruction was non-negotioable.

Dobrin is 77 years old and has a heart condition that makes him especially vulnerable to COVID-19. He hopes the school responds to the complaint to "formally acknowledge the wrong" they did, he tells Patch. He says he will explore further legal recourse with his lawyer after seeing how Hofstra responds to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint.

"I'm a real person who has had a long history with [Hofstra]—I want to be treated like I am a person, not a thing, not disposable."

Dobrin, who teaches ethics, says he felt compelled to speak out about the way the issue was handled.

"In-person learning is superior, all things being equal," he said. "But you have to be able to think about this creatively to accommodate everyone."

Dobrin asked Hofstra if his section of the course could be virtual, allowing students who felt more comfortable with remote learning to choose his class. But Hofstra said required courses with a lot of freshman students had to be in-person, and there was no discussion of a compromise or workaround, he says.

A spokesperson for Hofstra University said "While we have not yet been served this complaint, and would not speak specifically about an individual legal filing, during the past year the University scheduled classes either in-person, hybrid or online by considering the educational needs of our students and academic programs. The emphasis for undergraduate classes, especially introductory classes, as well as lab and studio courses was on in-person classes, while graduate classes were more online. And in any event, class assignments are never based on the age of a professor."

Dobrin said he knows of at least one colleague who felt similarly, but who was afraid to speak up out of fear of retribution.

"Maybe if my story gets publicity, others can see they aren't alone."