Suspended Ghent University academic under investigation for discrimination
Nathan Cofnas, the U.S. academic who raised plagiarism concerns over the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday, has been suspended by Belgium’s Ghent University and is under investigation for discrimination, reports BritPanorama.
Arday, once hailed as Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, was found dead, aged 41, in London last Friday, days after resigning from his post. He had denied the allegation of plagiarism but acknowledged making mistakes.
Cofnas announced on his X account, “I was just suspended by Ghent University. They will almost certainly fire me.” He also stated that he was under investigation by his university for allegedly discriminating against Arday.
In response, Ghent University confirmed Cofnas’ suspension as a precautionary measure pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation, but did not provide further details regarding the reasons.
The university’s statement emphasized that it could not offer additional comments “to safeguard the confidentiality of the personnel file and the disciplinary proceedings.”
Thousands attended a vigil in central London on Monday to remember Arday. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described his death as a “tragedy on so many levels” and highlighted the moment as one for reflection.
Cofnas previously indicated on his Substack page that he had been contacted by a source at Cambridge University regarding accusations of plagiarism involving Arday, without revealing the identity of the source.
Amidst this situation, Cofnas has faced scrutiny in his academic career; Emmanuel College at Cambridge terminated its association with him following student concerns regarding his blog posts, which included controversial remarks about race. Cofnas has stated he is not a racist and is currently in a legal dispute with the college.
The plagiarism allegations against Arday received substantial media attention, prompting inquiries into various aspects of his career and personal life. Prior to his death, Arday expressed that the public pressure was severely affecting him and his family.
His family asserted on Friday that he had been subjected to misinformation and harassment.
