Dick--- indeed, you are correct about 'First Amendment' freedom
of speech. On the other hand, there is a very long-standing tradition
of academic freedom that, if Emmanuel College's professors had any
sense, would cause them to refuse to administer final exams or post
final grades until such time as their colleague was reinstated.

Ebbie--- the notion of 'academic freedom' is cross-discipline. That
is, if you hire a 'professor' you assume that he or she is sufficiently
educated to be fairly able to comment on that which is not in his or
her area of specialty, or perhaps in an area which has not yet been
invented. This might fairly come under the discipline of 'ethics,'
which is within the purview of 'financial accounting' (c.f. Enron,
Quest Communications, Apple Computer,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         et al). So you don't castigate
a History professor for commenting on what might be described as
theology. It's all connected. Particularly in a 'liberal arts'
university.

Regarding Mormanism--- they're at times a bit of a conundrum. While
being very personally strict and conservative, particularly within
the family, they also have a certain 'live and let live' ethos
which can surprise and delight. Perhaps it's their relatively recent
experience of religious persecution which leads to that. Make no
mistake--- if you're a LDS kid at BYU, you have quite a strict code
to live up to. On the other hand, a gay colleague from my Novell days
told me that being gay in Provo, UT felt safer than in a lot of other
more 'enlightened' places.

On the other hand, Catholic colleges and universities are struggling
with identity as Catholic institutions vs. Academic freedom. Notre
Dame has decided to go one way--- hosting the 'Vagina Monologues.'
'Ave (Dominos Pizza) Maria University' a different one, pretending
that if it isn't in communion with Mother Church it doesn't exist
except to be refuted.