A US professor has spent nearly a year under investigation after a colleague accused him of racial discrimination over his use of the phrase “word salad” during a faculty meeting at a New York university.Richard Himelfarb, a political science professor at Hofstra University in New York, made the remark during a November 3, 2025, faculty meeting concerning proposed courses, according to the New York Post.Himelfarb said Jewish Studies chair Santiago Slabodsky, who was born in Argentina, had proposed two courses for his department, including one examining conspiracy theories and another exploring religion and revolutionary movements in Latin America.Several professors objected to the proposals, Himelfarb said. He claimed Slabodsky then gave a lengthy response that did not address the concerns raised by the faculty members.Himelfarb said he responded: “That is complete word salad; I don’t understand a thing Professor Slabodsky said.”Slabodsky filed a complaint the following day, alleging that the phrase disparaged his accent and South American heritage.In his complaint provided to NYP, Slabodsky said Himelfarb had dismissed his explanations by referring to them as “word salad”, arguing that the remark impugned his “language ability” as well as his “sense and clarity”.The university’s Human Resources department later told Himelfarb there was “reasonable cause” to believe he had disparaged Slabodsky’s ethnicity. A formal investigation was subsequently opened.Himelfarb said the prolonged process has affected his daily life.“I wake up every day and this cloud is hovering over me, I spend hours every day responding to emails, talking with lawyers, attending hearings,” he told the outlet.
Investigation moves to harassment board
Himelfarb offered to apologise and said he was willing to make the apology public. He said Slabodsky rejected the proposed apology after a university official showed it to him.The case was later referred to Hofstra’s University Harassment Board, an ad-hoc committee that Himelfarb said could recommend his dismissal despite his tenure.In May, he sought assistance from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the Academic Freedom Alliance, which is providing him with a lawyer.Slabodsky then filed another complaint alleging retaliation after Himelfarb brought in outside support.Himelfarb said he does not intend to sue or retaliate. He said he hired legal representation after losing confidence in the university’s handling of the case.The professor, who wrote Catastrophic Politics, also said he believes his conservative views have contributed to the scrutiny. He argued that the prolonged investigation could discourage academics from challenging colleagues on controversial subjects.“Would any faculty member want to talk about anything controversial knowing that it’s going to go on and on and on like this?” he said.Hofstra said Himelfarb has not faced disciplinary action.“There has been no disciplinary action taken, and the matter is proceeding in accordance with Hofstra University’s established processes. First Amendment considerations are highly context specific. We have no further comment at this time,” university spokesperson Terry Coniglio said.
