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Nearly 50 Republican lawmakers in Maine recently urged Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) to terminate a professor accused of discriminating against a student’s Christian beliefs.
In a letter sent July 7, the legislators called on EMCC to fire English professor Carol Lewandowski, alleging that she made “inappropriate and discriminatory comments” to a conservative student in one of her classes, NEWS CENTER Maine reported. The letter also accused Lewandowski of mocking the student’s Christian faith.
“Attempts to intimidate and silence students — especially based on religious status, ideology, and political affiliation — are completely unacceptable and run counter to the goals of higher education,” the lawmakers said in their letter to the college.
The controversy began when Katherine Parker, a student in Lewandowski’s oral communications class, went public with feedback she received on an essay about gun rights, Maine Wire reported. In a local radio interview, Parker read excerpts of the professor’s remarks, which many listeners viewed as hostile toward her Christian beliefs and conservative views.
Parker had written an essay supporting the Second Amendment, which prompted sharply worded and personal responses from Lewandowski.
Among her remarks, Lewandowski mocked Parker’s Christian faith with the comment, “Wasn’t your former speech a testimony to finding Jesus[?] Did Jesus pack heat?” and accused her of “proselytizing with logical fallacies in a college class.”
Lewandowski dismissed Parker’s topic as “2nd amendment nonsense,” and stated she could not fairly grade the paper due to her “disdain” for Parker’s “misinterpretations of the second amendment.”
In another comment, Lewandowski added, “You and your ilk drive me nuts with your hypocrisy.”
The incident follows earlier concerns about Lewandowski’s conduct in the classroom, according to Maine Wire. In 2024, she canceled the Zoom session the class was scheduled to have the day after Donald Trump won the election, telling students that she was too upset to teach or even “communicate in any way, shape, or form.”
In a Dec. 14, 2024, email, she said that “someone noted that they found it ‘unprofessional’” for her to cancel the class, and she described the outcome as akin to “a death in the family,” because she cares about the country as much as she does her family.
In their letter, the lawmakers condemned the professor’s comments as anti-religious bias.
“[W]e are profoundly concerned by the professor’s flippant mockery of the student’s Christian faith, and we will do everything in our power to defend the right to worship everywhere in Maine – including on our college campuses,” the lawmakers said.
EMCC confirmed to NEWS CENTER Maine that it had received the letter and said its leadership took action upon learning of the situation.
“[W]e are currently engaged in taking appropriate steps as required by law and collective bargaining agreement,” a college spokesperson said. Citing personnel rules, the school declined to comment further.
Lewandowski has not responded publicly. However, EMCC has since reassigned her class to another professor, who informed students they would be restarting the course with a new curriculum and would not be required to complete past assignments.
