Dankprofessor’s Weblog

A weblog examining sexual politics in higher education and beyond.

Professor David Cass and the University of Pennsylvania

David Cass, University of Pennsylvania economics professor is one of the very few professors who has publicly defended his rights to privacy and association in the context of his being persecuted by the UPENN administration for having engaged in a consensual relationship with a former student, Claudia Stachel.  Claudia Stachel publicly joined Dave Cass in protesting the actions of the UPENN administration.

This post will contain a link to the article I wrote on David Cass in the 1990s; comments from Dave which were emailed to me today, August 31, 2007.  And a link to material on Dave’s website; the material is of great value to those seriously interested in campus sexual and political correctness; Dave also includes some of his own satirical material on this episode.

Article on the Cass case by the Dankprofessor. 

Comment from David Cass- 

My professional qualifications can be gleaned from my Website1, my ethicalprinciples (in part) inferred from what follows. The imbroglio I was involved inwith Penn’s foolishly politically correct administration in the mid-nineties — what my co-conspirator Claudia Stachel and I early on labelled the “Fondling Affair” —is accurately recounted in Barry’s piece, which is linked above. My initial reaction to this incredible episode, as well as its denouement also appear on my Website.2

During the same year a typical ban of certain liaisons (sic, for those of politically correct moral persuasion) in academia was proposed in the Penn Faculty Senate, and then adopted by vote of the faculty. I’ve always liked my satiricalcomment on the proposed ban, which is linked below. This despite the fact that Daphne Patai may be the only one (besides me) to read and enjoy it; I hope you will too.

1See, especially, the section Curriculum Vitae.

2See “On Women” and “Follow-up …” (this last stuff needs better labelling, say, “The Outcome of the Fondling Affair”), respectively, in the section Miscellaneous Links.

Proposed ban followed by comments from Dave Cass.

September 1, 2007 - Posted by dankprofessor | David Cass, university of pennsylvania | | 2 Comments

2 Comments »

  1. [...] devoted to the many aspects of his fight against sexual correctness and sexual repression. Click here to read this post.  In September of last year we were scheduled to meet in Philadelphia to [...]

    Pingback by Professor Dave Cass dies « Dankprofessor’s Weblog | April 18, 2008 | Reply

  2. I just finished Barry Dank’s article on the David Cass case, and am deflated! I realize that this took place in 1994-now 15 years ago. Yet I hope the “politically correct” feminist thinking has softened at Penn since then.
    Concerning Claudia Statchel’s “lacking standing” to defend her position, this reminded me of the infamous trial of Susan B. Anthony, in 1873. She was charged with voting for Ulysses S. Grant, in the 1872 Presidential Election. The judge, Ward Hunt, didn’t consider her testimony as being totally valid, as she was a woman.
    In 1994, Claudia Statchel’s position on her dating relationship was deemed irrelevant, not so much because she was a woman, but because she was in an asymettrical/lower heirechal position, to Dave Cass. So according to feminists, Claudia, or I, revert to a girl or boy, under the age of 18, when entering into a consensual dating relationship, with someone with greater power & status than ourselves!!
    If people see the historical injustice done to Susan B. Anthony, they must similarly see the injustice of infantalizing Claudia or myself, in the described situation. Otherwise, those disagreeing just don’t get it!!

    Comment by Donald Visconti | July 19, 2009 | Reply


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