Northwestern U. Labels Former Lecturer’s Column on Jill Biden ‘Misogynistic’

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Northwestern University released a statement this week in response to a Wall Street Journal column by Joseph Epstein, who lectured at the university in the early 2000s. Epstein argued in a column published on Friday that Jill Biden should cease use of the title “doctor.” Biden earned a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware in 2007.

According to a report by Campus Reform, Northwestern University released a statement this week in response to a column by former lecturer Joseph Epstein.

The Wall Street Journal published a column by Epstein on Friday entitled “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.” In the column, Epstein argued that Jill Biden should stop using the title “doctor,” an honorific that refers to a doctorate in education that Biden earned in 2007.

“Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the “Dr.” before your name? “Dr. Jill Biden ” sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.

Northwestern University released a statement this week in response to the backlash. The university argued that Epstein’s column was “misogynistic.”

“Joseph Epstein has not been a lecturer at Northwestern since 2003,” the statement reads. “While we firmly support academic freedom and freedom of expression, we do not agree with Mr. Epstein’s opinion and believe the designation of doctor is well deserved by anyone who has earned a Ph.D., an Ed.D., an M.D. or any other doctoral degree.”

“Northwestern is firmly committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and strongly disagrees with Mr. Epstein’s misogynistic views,” the statement continues.

Breitbart News reported in November that the town of Evanston, Illinois, had proposed a ban on beer pong and other drinking games in response to noise complaints against Northwestern University students.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.

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