The University of Washington has agreed to a $600,000 settlement with computer sciences professor Stuart Reges, four years after the university initiated disciplinary proceedings against him for parodying a land acknowledgement in his 2022 class syllabus. Reges had mocked the university's statement acknowledging the Coast Salish people of the land, including a satirical addition to his syllabus that stated, "I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington."
Reges told the Daily Mail that he hopes the settlement will remind public universities of their obligation to uphold the First Amendment rights of their staff and students, and to foster an environment where disagreement can be better coped with. "Only then can we heal the deep divisions that confront us today," Reges said.
The University of Washington did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, with a spokesman stating the university maintains its actions were appropriate. Reges expressed disappointment with this response, suggesting it implies the university would repeat its actions if given the chance.
During the legal process, the university revisited its anti-harassment policy, which formed the basis of the investigation into Reges. In December of the previous year, a divided panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the university had violated Reges's First Amendment rights. Reges has continued to teach throughout the proceedings and remains in his faculty position.
Reges has consistently criticized the university's land acknowledgement, which appears in other professors' email signatures and syllabi, describing it as "performative." He also voiced criticism of what he terms the increasing orthodoxy of the "woke" movement on campus over the past decade, stating that dissenting views are often met with condemnation not just as being wrong, but as immoral. Reges, who is openly gay, also indicated disappointment with the university's gay student group, QPP, and the academic workers' union, UAW Local 4121, claiming they pursued action against him. He stated that UAW Local 4121 filed a grievance accusing him of sexual harassment and submitted an amicus brief supporting the university in the legal dispute. Reges characterized the alleged campus speech restrictions as "the new closet," and reported that several faculty members have privately expressed agreement with his views but fear speaking out.