Dear SMT Community,

This week I learned that anyone may post an “update” on the SMT Humanities Commons page, as I am doing now, and the message will be sent to all group members. In this way, Scott Fruehwald emailed hundreds of SMT members with the unprovoked and, in my opinion, reprehensible assertion that Philip Ewell is an “academic fraud.” The reason offered is that, in a recent article, Ewell interpreted a piece of evidence differently than the author of the source from which the evidence was taken. Fruehwald invoked the SMT Policy on Ethics, quoting a passage that requests fairness in evaluating sources. As it happens, in the very next clause of the same sentence, the policy requests respect for others who hold different perspectives.

Scott Fruehwald has consistently used SMT resources (Humanities Commons, SMT Discuss, Twitter #smt hashtags) to harass SMT members. One can block Fruehwald in Humanities Commons (click his name to bring up his profile, then select Block, as I have done), just as SMT Discuss has been discontinued and several Twitter users have gone private. Many of those targeted have been minoritized and precariously employed members (Black scholars, women, junior scholars, non-tenure-track scholars). My concern is that simply ignoring Fruehwald’s attempts at engagement, usually an effective method of dealing with “trolling,” will do nothing to make scholars feel safe and supported in SMT spaces.

Rather than shut down SMT resources, can we condemn and remove those who engage in harassment and abuse? I ask the question publicly, because I recommend that any action be reported publicly, too.

Chris Segall, University of Cincinnati
SMT Member