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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

LU Accounting Adjunct Under Fire Post-Trump Remarks

LU's Brown and White is reporting that some poor accounting adjunct is under investigation for remarks to a class after the election, including asking a Mexican American student whether he was moving back to his country. Assuming that everything in the story is accurate, this really seems to be an over-reaction to what looks like a failed attempt at humor with Lehigh students. That has never been their strong suit.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

idiot professor.

John said...

The biggest lesson I learned from the election and its runup is this: "It's not the words people say, it's the words people hear." Consider Lehigh (a private university) and its culture. It would seem to be pretty clear to adjuncts, as it is to me, that humor of that kind is not well received. In light of the tension in campus after November 8, the remark was stupid at best and inflammatory at worst.

Perhaps this remark would have been funny in another state or at another time. In Bethlehem in early November in 2016, the student to whom the question was posed had a right to be shocked and offended. Members of faculty, even poorly paid adjuncts, are in positions of power and there is an expectation that they treat their students with dignity and not single them out as objects of attempted humor.

Let's let the review of the case move through Lehigh's disciplinary system. I'm very sorry it happened for the student, and for the adjunct faculty member, who has possibly made a big career stumble.

Robert Trotner said...

I can see where the professor's joke might have been appropriate in a history, psychology, or political science class as a tool to promote discussion. Such a gratuitous insult is not appropriate in an accounting class. The professor will rightly be censored and, I suspect, lose his position.

Anonymous said...

safe spaces

Anonymous said...

The professor was out of line and should be fired. I'm sure he will given that Lehigh is being investigated for contributing to or allowing a culture of discrimination. They can't take it lightly now.

Anonymous said...

if the story is true it is merely an example of white privilege.
the attitude of i can shit on someone just for kicks.
the asking about a tantrum is the clueless result of--why are you upset about me insulting your background?
the prof destroyed any credibility he might have had.
how can any student who is not white wonder if race had anything to do with the grade they receive?
most likely the prof was even handed yet the perception of bias is now there.
the easiest way would be for the prof to pull a patton.
get the students together and admit he was an asshole and apologize.

Anonymous said...

I think our grandparents had a good overall policy that we should all go back to...

NEVER discuss politics or religion.

Clearly social media, message boards and comment sections make it easy to drop whatever fact, opinions, cross-bred "factpinions" and outright lies gleaned from whatever your favorite TV or Internet Echo Chamber doled out, but its all just tit for tat bullshit anymore and the fact that people accept it and even embrace it does not bode well for our country's future.

Its beyond sad that we've gotten to the point that we have people protesting in the street over the results of a fair national election, it's over, accept it and move on with your life. It's equally sad that we have people who are cluelessly infuriated that people are unhappy with the results after such a divisive and negative campaign OR in more than a few cases, deriving a perverted sense of joy that half the country is displeased and happy that those blowhards got what was coming to them. I know the same thing would happen if the results were reversed.

Take a look at your life, if you've found yourself getting genuinely angry or upset about whatever the Democrats or Republicans have done or are doing then make it a point to stay away from political discussions. It will be hard, there is a chemical rush that your brain and body almost become addicted to when you feel compelled to attack or argue against someone else's opinion or view of the world. Go see a movie, read a book, take a walk.

Scott of Nazareth

Anonymous said...

whoa whoa whoa.... while the comment may require a warning compared to all the LEFT WING RHETORIC the left wing educators spew upon these paying students for years and nothing is said....i find that shameful and disgusting! was the ĉomment wrong? yes! but make the educator apologize and move on. done!

Anonymous said...

Someone found a termite in a burning house.

Guess which will be focused on....

(shhh maybe no one will notice the fire)

Anonymous said...

"NEVER discuss politics or religion."

(in polite company.) Was the rest of that.

The reason was, our Grandparents appreciated the value of being polite and knew these subjects were deeply personal matters.

Our grandparents were being "politically correct" to use a modern term.

If this election has shown us anything, it shows we are no longer polite to one another, being polite is for liberal pussies now.

Anonymous said...

Left wing rhetoric? Discussing policies and examining ideas are what college is all about and I'm sure Lehigh has it's share of professors, students and administrators on the right. Implying that a student does not belong in this country anymore is hateful bigotry. The professor holds a powerful position over his students (grades MATTER in college) and his blatant racism shouldn't be tolerated.

Anonymous said...

@12:39 - I guess it might have been a distant cousin/ancestor to "Politically Correct", but can easily see my grandfather sitting at a basement poker table or the corner bar and hearing some ass hat spouting off about Kennedy or LBJ or Nixon... If the icy silent stare didn't end the conversation, I don't think fuzzy mittens were the next option for him.

Anonymous said...

If Trump had lost the teabaggerrs would have been crying their eyes out and Mitch McConnell would have declared that anything she proposed would be stopped. We all know that is true.
Bernie, you should have been at the teabagger love in at the Bethlehem plaza the other day. You boy, Tom Carroll led the festivities wearing his I am a deplorable", t-shirt. At least there is one thing we can all agree with.

JoshLCowen said...

Gee, if every professor was fired for saying something derogatory toward Italian-Americans the ranks of the professoriate would be thin.

Anonymous said...

"Teabaggers"? - So sorry you are obviously still having trouble adequately coping with the fact that Hillary Clinton will not be your next President of the United States.

Anonymous said...

@ AuH20

The actual truth is that during the Red Scare of the 1950's more professors were purged due to being liberal progressives. Which ushered in the age of CoIntelPro political assassination of left leaning elected officials and outspoken citizens of the 1960's. Not since the labor demonstrations of 1920's, and the imprisonment of Eugene Debs have so many liberals been purged.

Anonymous said...

Always so oppressed, those Liberals Progressives. So sad, their plight. Too bad America is such a racist, sexist, bigoted, etc., country, blah, blah, blah.

Anonymous said...

"Too bad America is such a racist, sexist, bigoted, etc., country, blah, blah, blah."

I feel like you were going for sarcasm, it's just sad/scary that your statement is actually true.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and other countries are not?

Anonymous said...

Fox News use of 'Suck It Up Cupcake' on this general issue, now this AM-.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:23AM

...do you need a hug?

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
This is the one and if my memory seems not to be failing me, it was a general statement on topic just with a twist of how the local domanancy of the triboro and itZ unbelievable powers x3?
REpublican redd
patent pending and no party affiliation just a true humanist

Anonymous said...

@ 1:34 AM

I think it's the Progressive Liberal Democrats who need the hug, especially after Hillary Clinton's "shocking" defeat in the recent Presidential election ... PS : I was taught that sticks and stones will break my bones but names - or some Lehigh University employee telling me to move back to Mexico or wherever for that matter - will NEVER EVER hurt me.