University forced to apologize after professor uses 'N-word' repeatedly in class

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By VT

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For the second time this month, a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma has been accused of using a racial slur in class, CNN has reported.

The most recent incident occurred when a history professor read from a "historical document that used the 'N-word' repeatedly". As a result, the university's interim president, Joseph Harroz, Jr., has issued an apology to the University's official website, which was later shared on Twitter.

The incident comes two weeks after another professor used a racial slur, saying it was just as offensive as the term 'Boomer':
[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/x3muINRq-Q0L14jDU.mp4||x3muINRq]]

In the open letter, Harroz states:

"We are all weary of racially charged incidents occurring within our university community. Now, for the second time in less than two weeks, I find myself addressing a faculty member’s use of racially offensive language in the classroom.

"The professor, a faculty member in History, read from a historical document that used the 'N-word' repeatedly. While she could have made the point without reciting the actual word, she chose otherwise."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/UofOklahoma/status/1232090185149689861]]

Despite issuing a "trigger warning" to the class prior to reading from the document, Harroz says that the "pain" the word caused was not diminished, and the professor lacked "common sense" in not avoiding the word entirely. The letter continued:

"Her issuance of a 'trigger warning' before her recitation does not lessen the pain caused by the use of the word. For students in the class, as well as members of our community, this was another painful experience. It is common sense to avoid uttering the most offensive word in the English language, especially in an environment where the speaker holds the power."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Pexels]]

The professor in this matter has not been identified.
Less than two weeks ago, an OU journalism professor stepped down from teaching the course for the rest of the semester after informing students during class that the 'N-word' is just as offensive as the term "boomer", ABC News reports.

As a result of that original incident, Harroz has stated that all faculty and staff would be required to attend diversity and racial sensitivity training, saying:

"After the incident that occurred less than two weeks ago, we immediately began working on a number of action steps.

"The first is a new required diversity, equity, and inclusion training regimen for all OU faculty, staff, and administration to complete. This training will address our implicit bias, it will force us to consider our words and actions and the implications that follow, and more.

"While students already engage in this type of training, for the first time our faculty and staff will be required to participate as well.

We are also developing an incident response protocol, that quickly employs culturally restorative justice practices designed to create a pathway to reconciliation through education and the changing of behavior."

Harroz ended the open letter by saying that is was "unfortunate" that the second incident occurred before the action plan could be rolled out, the University is still dedicated to "bringing society closer together".

University forced to apologize after professor uses 'N-word' repeatedly in class

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

For the second time this month, a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma has been accused of using a racial slur in class, CNN has reported.

The most recent incident occurred when a history professor read from a "historical document that used the 'N-word' repeatedly". As a result, the university's interim president, Joseph Harroz, Jr., has issued an apology to the University's official website, which was later shared on Twitter.

The incident comes two weeks after another professor used a racial slur, saying it was just as offensive as the term 'Boomer':
[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/x3muINRq-Q0L14jDU.mp4||x3muINRq]]

In the open letter, Harroz states:

"We are all weary of racially charged incidents occurring within our university community. Now, for the second time in less than two weeks, I find myself addressing a faculty member’s use of racially offensive language in the classroom.

"The professor, a faculty member in History, read from a historical document that used the 'N-word' repeatedly. While she could have made the point without reciting the actual word, she chose otherwise."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/UofOklahoma/status/1232090185149689861]]

Despite issuing a "trigger warning" to the class prior to reading from the document, Harroz says that the "pain" the word caused was not diminished, and the professor lacked "common sense" in not avoiding the word entirely. The letter continued:

"Her issuance of a 'trigger warning' before her recitation does not lessen the pain caused by the use of the word. For students in the class, as well as members of our community, this was another painful experience. It is common sense to avoid uttering the most offensive word in the English language, especially in an environment where the speaker holds the power."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Pexels]]

The professor in this matter has not been identified.
Less than two weeks ago, an OU journalism professor stepped down from teaching the course for the rest of the semester after informing students during class that the 'N-word' is just as offensive as the term "boomer", ABC News reports.

As a result of that original incident, Harroz has stated that all faculty and staff would be required to attend diversity and racial sensitivity training, saying:

"After the incident that occurred less than two weeks ago, we immediately began working on a number of action steps.

"The first is a new required diversity, equity, and inclusion training regimen for all OU faculty, staff, and administration to complete. This training will address our implicit bias, it will force us to consider our words and actions and the implications that follow, and more.

"While students already engage in this type of training, for the first time our faculty and staff will be required to participate as well.

We are also developing an incident response protocol, that quickly employs culturally restorative justice practices designed to create a pathway to reconciliation through education and the changing of behavior."

Harroz ended the open letter by saying that is was "unfortunate" that the second incident occurred before the action plan could be rolled out, the University is still dedicated to "bringing society closer together".