HEARING THOSE JACKBOOTS. Edgy art student creates a painting that has the f-word in it. Somebody scratches out the word with crayon or charcoal, damaging the work beyond repair. Excessively earnest faculty member gets, well, excessively earnest.

NIU assistant art professor Karen Brown said the vandalism was a shameful act.

“It speaks to an incredibly regrettable immaturity on the ability of other people to tolerate ideas on which they do not agree,” Brown said. “That’s what the rise of fascism looks like, with the utter inability to tolerate the expressions of other people.”

Brown called Dudko “one of our very best students” and said her works were validly provocative.

“Her work is incredibly beautiful,” Brown said. “It’s the direct experience of her own life.”

I'll withhold judgement on the aesthetics. As long as the art faculty do not judge derivations for their elegance or their provocativeness, we have a proper division of labor. But let me remind readers that there is a non-discrimination and harassment policy at Northern Illinois University that specifically prohibits "discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, [my emphasis] physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or any other factor unrelated to professional qualifications. Consistent with the importance of these objectives, the university maintains an accessible, diligent, and responsive complaint resolution system." Perhaps the miscreant who censored the painting was not aware of channels for official redress. But the painting appears to be actionable under the harassment provision of the policy, which reads prohibits

Harassment in the workplace that is based upon the employee's/student's protected characteristic and;

Creates or is intended to create an intimidating, hostile, offensive working environment;

Unreasonably interferes with work performance.

And edgy art is occasionally deliberately hostile or offensive.

On the other hand, perhaps the tramp of jackboots is in this harassment policy itself ...