Professor James Sherley began his hunger strike yesterday, vowing not to consume anything other than vitamins, water and electrolytes until the university admits its decision to deny him tenure was “racist.”

If he sticks to his strike, the 254-pound black professor should wind up losing a lot of weight.

After Sherley circulated his letter to Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty members announcing his planned hunger strike, the MIT administration defended its decision, stating, “MIT has a well-established procedure for reviewing and granting tenure to faculty. This process is thorough and extensive, and we are confident it was followed with integrity in this case,” according to the university’s statement appearing in a Dec. 23, 2006 Boston Globe article.

While Sherley has been an accomplished stem cell scientist at MIT, earning the Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health among several other awards, many other distinguished faculty members are denied tenure.

At MIT, fewer than half of junior faculty members are tenured, according the Globe.

Sherley said his starvation demonstration is tackling the racism he faced not just while applying for tenure, but during his career at MIT. But Sherley has no conclusive evidence of discrimination.

In his letter, Sherley attempts to verify his allegations, claiming he overheard BU President Robert Brown — then the MIT provost — say he did not want to grant lab space to a black man. Though never making an official statement, Brown rejected these claims through a spokesman, according to a Dec. 27, 2006 Insider Higher Ed article.

If there were more validity to the mistreatment Sherley faced, he would have a much larger support group.

On Jan. 21, 2005, Sherley’s advocates began an online petition to appeal MIT’s decision, but more than two years later, only 220 people have signed it, including obviously fake signatures from President Bush, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and North Korean leader Kim Jung Il. There are 983 faculty members at MIT, according to the university’s website.

MIT is right to stand by its original statement and not humor Sherley’s protest.

President Brown, however, should offer a brief but personal refute to the racist allegations against him. He has made a choice to ignore the attack, and this seems justified considering the source, but anytime someone questions your tolerance, especially if you are the leader of a world-renowned university, you should do your best to counter the attacks.