Woke Mathematicians Are Putting Their Enemies On A Surveillance List

In which I get sexually harassed by a tenured professor

A group of far-left mathematicians is attempting to damage the careers of their enemies by putting them on a surveillance list.

Public Stances on DEI in Mathematics is a website from the Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (QSIDE) that tracks mathematicians' political ideologies. QSIDE is founded and run by Chad Topaz, a math professor at Williams College where tuition costs $61,450 per year.

Topaz is a self-proclaimed expert in "antiracist teaching." In this essay he explains that mathematical knowledge is "informed by white supremacy" so we must take steps to "mitigate white supremacy in math [curriculum]."

Here is a list of all the largest donors to QSIDE.

Chad Topaz also claims to have a gay dog. It is unclear how that was determined.

Here is a nice article: Enemy of Free Speech - Denounced by His Own Math Department Colleagues at Williams College. Here is an article I wrote in 2021 called Shots Fired in the Math Civil War.

Topaz writes that the aim of QSIDE's latest surveillance list is to "study" the "racist views" of his colleagues. "Some folx are REALLY MAD about this. HOW DARE CHAD PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT I PUBLICLY SIGNED MY NAME TO A POLICY STANCE."

Chad Topaz @chadtopaz

#UnsilencingMyWorkplace Chapter 16: We Don't Talk About Brunet. In which we remember Ida B. Wells, who said "the way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." Featuring: secret gay crush. 🏳️‍🌈♥️👨‍❤️‍👨 Y'all, this one is unfolding *now* and it is TOO GOOD.

QSIDE's surveillance list sorts 4,000+ names into 26 categories based on whether or not they signed a series of letters and/or are members of certain professional organizations.

Letter B, for example, has 680 signatories. It raises concerns about "attempts to intimidate a voice within our mathematical community" and calls for the American Mathematical Society (AMS) to "make a clear statement that bullying and intimidation have no place in our community."

This "bullying and intimidation" refers to an incident in 2019 when Topaz attempted to get UC Davis math professor Abigail Thompson fired due to her opposition to mandatory diversity statements.

"Topaz funds [QSIDE] in part by giving donors the gift of 'diversity statement help' from his organization..." writes Jerry Coyne, an emeritus professor of biology at the University of Chicago. "Thus, by promoting requirements for diversity statements, Topaz is also plumping for donations to his own organization."

Wall Street Journal Opinion @WSJopinion

Mandatory diversity statements can too easily become a test of political ideology and conformity, writes Abigail Thompson

on.wsj.comOpinion | The University’s New Loyalty OathRequired ‘diversity and inclusion’ statements amount to a political litmus test for hiring.

I attempted to contact all 680 signatories to Letter B. 125 of them responded. Reactions ranged from mild amusement, to complete indifference, to anger, shock and disgust. Many said that the point of this list was for Topaz to damage the career prospects of his enemies.

Aryeh Kontorovich, computer science professor at Ben-Gurion University:

Chad Topaz has been vocally active in trying to damage the careers of those whom he disagrees with politically.

Sergiu Klainerman, math professor at Princeton:

I have no problem being on the list myself but tremble to think how this will affect the practice of our science, especially its effect on young mathematicians.

Peter Ozsváth, math professor at Princeton:

There was one individual who tried to "shame" me by email. It didn't work. (She has a long history of confrontational behaviour, both with me and with others.)

Pedro Fortuny Ayuso, lecturer of applied mathematics at the Universidad de Oviedo:

I recall answering an AMS questionnaire which might have to do with this... the list itself is a gross breach of privacy."

Brendon Rhoades, math professor at UC San Diego:

I agree that the motivation behind QSIDE's actions was likely, in part, to chill speech... this is a huge problem for people earlier in their career. 

Ofer Zeitouni, math professor at the Weizmann Institute and at the Courant Institute:

I do not think the issue is 'Trying to prevent them from being hired, maybe?' ... I see it more  as a threat that such people will  be fired or maybe not reach position of leadership in organizations, universities, and maybe eventually academies.

Jeffrey Stuart, math professor at Pacific Lutheran University:

The authors, predominantly members of QSIDE, have a very specific political agenda... it is reasonable to believe that the QSIDE authors believe that a scorched earth approach to obtaining their political ends is appropriate.

Igor Rivin, math professor at Temple University:

In the old Soviet Union many people came to do mathematics because it was the least prone to political manipulation, and so it is a shock to the many of us who came to the US to see that the political component here is. astoundingly, far worse than it was in the USSR.

Paul Humphreys, philosophy professor at University of Virginia:

I had not previously heard of QSIDE but it's clear what their agenda is... it's a reasonable assumption that this list is to aid in negatively affecting the careers of those on the list.

Benjamin Sudakov, math professor at ETH Zurich:

I actually was not aware about this site Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, but I do not care if someone thinks I had wrong views. I grew up in the Soviet Union so I am not intimidated easily.

Surjeet Rajendran, physics professor at Johns Hopkins:

I am proud to be on this list though I don't know how I got on it in the first place. At least it helped me learn there were others on this list from Hopkins who also think this is all ridiculous.

David Cimasoni, mathematician at University of Geneva:

I feel fine that my name appears in this list, as the information attached to my name reflects my views on the question. If there was an additional category 'I am happy not to live in a country where the debate about DEI has degenerated into a civil war', I would immediately sign up.

Pawel Gburzynski, retired computer science professor at the University of Alberta:

Yeah, of course they do it, so they can put us against the wall when the revolution comes. What a bunch of creeps! ... How do I feel? They can all go @#$%^ themselves as far as I am concerned.

Bruno Nachtergaele, math professor at UC Davis:

If the idea for QSIDE is to treat friends of their enemies as enemies, I am sorry to hear that. In my view, that would reflect poorly on QSIDE.

Martin Scharlemann, math professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara:

My guess is that the 'institute' is not much more than a one-man project, as turning oneself into an institute is a standard academic ruse to inflate one's importance... With 1/3 of a billion Americans sitting around in a pandemic with little to do, some will go nutty, and inevitably some of those will also self-identify as mathematicians and/or institutes.

Ronald Stern, math professor at UC Irvine (and past chair of the Board of Trustees of the AMS):

It looks like the 'Institute' is just compiling who signed what public letter regarding Inclusion, Diversity. and Equity. I guess it could be used for nefarious purposes (either hire those that signed the maximal or minimal number of such letters). But again I am unaware of any such use.

Igor Rivin, math professor at Temple University:

You may enjoy this paper a student and I wrote. https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00670

We found that the signers of the open letters that are color coded in chads app, where letter B and C signers are called racists, and letter A signers messianic woke… those who signed letter A have fewer citations, even when normalized by age.

As a personal note, I will add that in the old Soviet Union many people came to do mathematics because it was the least prone to political manipulation, and so it is a shock to the many of us who came to the US to see that the political component here is. astoundingly, far worse than it was in the USSR (where scientific merit overrode politics - this is no longer true here).

Adam Přenosil, postdoc at the University of Cagliari:

Exaggerating things a bit, my understanding is that the point of this list is to prove that "anti-diversity" letters tend to be signed by (tenured) "stale pale males", while "pro-diversity" letters tend to be signed by (untenured) young "diverse" academicians: https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.13334. This is a questionable goal, but it does not constitute intimidation.

Alexander Turbiner , physics professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico:

I was surprised by the existence of this so-called "institute" with members having nothing to do with science, with ridiculously poor CV.

I quit AMS some time ago exactly due to the reason that AMS began to deviate from meritocracy in favor of or taking into account the things which have nothing to do with mathematics, with Science. To me it is a deviation from basic principles of the society of professional mathematicians.

Albert Schwarz, mathematician and a theoretical physicist at UC Davis:

I do not support equity (defined in dictionary as "the value of the shares issued by a company.)" I know that this word has now different meaning, ("equal outcomes" versus "equal possibilities"). I came from USSR where equity in this sense was used to discriminate Jews.

Pavel Etingof, math professor at MIT:

I think this list is misleading. My membership in the AMR, for instance, says nothing about my attitude to DEI ... I am involved in a number of diversity initiatives at MIT, but  I am sure this website does not mention it.

Ziho Park, economics professor at National University of Singapore:

When the mathematicians gathered a petition against the mandatory diversity statement, I circulated it to many economists including several very famous ones. I could easily find many economists who are against mandatory diversity statement ... When more people muster the courage to work together, we can remove regressive practices.

Gunnar Carlson, math professor at Stanford:

I am fine with being included in the list ... but find it unpleasant that it is being created in the first place.

Richard Schwartz, math professor at Brown University:

I find it annoying to be included on any kind of mathematical list that is not related to actual  mathematics. At the same time, the list doe  not bother me much. I am a chaired Ivy League professor, a former Guggenheim Fellow, and a two-time Invited Speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians.  I am not not really worried about the consequences of being on such lists.

Andrew Holt, history professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville.

I signed a previous letter of support in favor of Abagail Thompson, who I have never met, on the basis of her publicly stated views on these issues, and now I am put on a list for it?

If I were a recent PhD graduate looking for a job (in the hyper competitive market of tenure track jobs at colleges or universities), this would bother me. Someone on a hiring committee might well check this list when considering an applicant.

Alexander Soshnikov, math professor a UC Davis:

An example of the Soviet Union where (often) good intentions lead to often horrible results is not far from my mind. My theory is that many even well-meaning people do not have much of a sense of the history... Hence these struggle session- like lists of "bad" people with "wrong" views.

Many signatories to Letter B in 2019 later went on to become founding members of a new organization called the Association for Mathematical Research (AMR), which launched in 2021.

"It’s not just a coincidence that the AMR was founded on the heels of a greater push for diversity within the AMS," writes Lee Peralta. "In this way, the AMR seems more like a separatist organization for those people who are striving for some kind of “purity” within mathematics away from “impure” considerations of race, gender, class, ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status (among others)."

I contacted the president of the AMR, Joel Haas, a math professor at UC Davis. He stressed that the AMR "intends to focus exclusively on matters of research and scholarship."Many other professors expressed the same sentiment. They strongly maintain that there is no schism in the profession.

Richard E. Borcherds, math professor at UC Berkeley:

My impression is that there is no schism between the AMS and the AMR. There are a few people trying to stir up trouble, for reasons that are not clear to me.

Robert Ghrist, math professor at University of Pennsylvania:

There is no schism between the AMR and other professional organizations. We are merely interested in supporting mathematics research. What others try to do in stirring up controversy is a waste of their time.

Benjamin Sudakov, math professor at ETH Zurich:

In terms of AMR vs AMS I do not think there is any rivalry, after all many people in AMR are also members of AMS (like me)

Pavel Etingof, math professor at MIT:

The schism between AMR and AMS does not really exist. AMR has no political stance whatsoever and is not anti-diversity at all, even though some people claimed that it is.

Others say that despite their best efforts, the AMR is widely seen as an inherently political organization. "Claims that there is no political subtext here aren't very plausible," said Adam Přenosil, a postdoc at the University of Cagliari. "The habit of communicating one's positions by vaguely hinting at them in coded language but never honestly acknowledging them is, after all, part of the reason why dealing with the amorphous rhetoric of DEI is so frustrating, so I personally find it disheartening that people from the AMR do this."

Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth

A new math group, led in part by people who have spoken out against diversity efforts, claims to have no position on social justice issues. Other mathematicians: that IS a position. Relevant for STEM fields & more: scientificamerican.com/article/new-ma… by @writesRCrowell on @sciam

scientificamerican.comNew Math Research Group Reflects a Schism in the FieldCritics accuse the organization of opposing efforts to stamp out inequity

“Starting a new mathematical society, even an avowedly diverse and apolitical one, is really just an implicit claim that the existing societies, like the AMS have been co-opted by woke true-believers." writes Scott Aaronson, a computer science professor at UT Austin. "But that’s paranoid and insane! I mean, it’s not as if an AMS blog has called for the mass resignation of white male mathematicians to make room for the marginalized, or the boycott of Israeli universities, or the abolition of the criminal justice system."

Piper Harron ran that AMS blog.

Harron is a a postdoc in the math department at the University of Toronto. When the AMR launched on Twitter, she attempted to "cancel" them by denouncing them as “racist and racism supporting mathematicians” who you should “not work with or send your students to.”

DR. ABOLISH THE POLICE @pwr2dppl

New list of racist and racism-supporting mathematicians just dropped. People not to work with or send your students to

amathr.orgFounding Members – AMR

Pavel Etingof, math professor at MIT:

 I and many others have been asked to resign from AMR because "it's based on thinly veiled white supremacy principles.

Yasha Eliashberg, math professor at Stanford:

When I agreed to join the AMR, I expected that AMR and its members will be attacked by very vocal “woke” community, though I underestimated their viciousness. But this only confirms that I made the right decision.

Stephen Clark, math professor at Missouri S&T:

It would not surprise me to learn that the AMR represents some kind of schismatic movement in relation to the AMS. The AMS, a large organization with a long history, chooses to not stand apart from the larger culture. Indeed, it feels that it has a positive role to play in that culture quite apart from promoting mere mathematics.

Ronald Stern, past chair of the Board of Trustees of the AMS:

An interesting story would also to cover why there is an AMR. The reason could be that the AMS has not paid enough attention to “research” mathematicians, hence the origins of AMR.

Darij Grinberg, assistant professor of mathematics at Drexel University:

I'm not against the AMS, but I have the feeling that it has calcified and lost much of its usefulness over the last decades... I wouldn't look to the AMS for innovation and creativity. Also, Chad Topaz (a founder of the group behind the chart) is already widely known as a grifter.

Ofer Zeitouni, math professor at the Weizmann Institute and at the Courant Institute:

 In general the AMR/AMS schism touches on issues beyond DEI - and DEI also touches on issues such as elitism vs. non-elitism, which are not strictly connected to DEI.

Yuri Bazlov, math lecturer at the University of Manchester:

Just an example to illustrate the AMR's reputation in university circles in the UK. A faculty leader at my university circulated an email, stating that a new organisation, the AMR, includes among its founders people who expressed controversial views on Diversity, Inclusion and Equality issues. He advised anyone who is approached about joining the AMR to research the organization first. This could have been construed as a warning against joining the AMR because of possible controversy.

Lenny Fukshansky, math professor at Claremont McKenna College:

I am happy to see many colleagues who push back against such silencing strategies and openly support free academic expression, mathematical research and education. Along these lines, I was happy to see the foundation of the new Association for Mathematical Research and gladly joined it.

Alexander Turbiner, physics professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico:

I quit AMS some time ago exactly due to the reason that AMS began to deviate from meritocracy in favor of or taking into account the things which have nothing to do with mathematics, with Science. 

I tried to contact Topaz for this story, but did not receive a reply. Instead, Topaz tweeted:

Chad Topaz @chadtopaz

🚨🚨#math and other folx: Urgent Alert. 🚨🚨D*ily C*ller (a right wing outlet) is trying to cause trouble on DEI stuff, incl. in the math world. They are writing many of us "polite" emails. DO NOT ENGAGE. One "journalist" is "Chris Brunet" but there may be other. Plz RT. Urgent.

This is a new Twitter account for Topaz. He deleted his last account in shame 6 months ago upon being publicly caught manipulating data.

"I hope that your article will also end with a call for peace and cooperation rather than with pinpointing at the scapegoat of some kind. I am not very optimistic as to whether such calls will be heard in our highly polarized times, but somebody still needs to make them in the general chorus hailing "relentless fight for the just cause" whatever that "cause" might possibly be." math professor at Kent State.

One thing is clear: If the math profession is to achieve peace and cooperation, it will be in spite of QSIDE and Topaz, not because of them.

---

P.S. In the course of reporting this story, Chad Topaz started rambling about how he wants to molest me:

Christopher Brunet @realChrisBrunet

If a tenured male professor at @WilliamsCollege tweeted this exact same stuff about a female journalist, I believe it would be called "sexual harassment"

Multiple professors at Topaz’s school contacted me to tell me they think I should file an official complaint. I am not sure. My biggest hesitation is that if I file such a claim of sexual harassment, it will trivialize victims of actual sexual harassment. On the other hand… was I sexually harassed? I think I might have been? I don’t know. I am walking away from this encounter feeling more confused than anything. I think Topaz was trying to bully/intimidate me… but in a really sexually aggressive way? Weird.