I teach at Towson University which is the second largest public university in Maryland. Yesterday, it was announced that an adjunct art professor was fired because he used the “N” word during lecture. The adjunct, Allen Zaruba, said that he made the comment (click here for the comment) in the course of illustrating the rights and benefits of adjunct professor at Towson University.
The statement of the Provost is here.
I have two takes on the matter. As far as Towson is concerned, I think it was an overreaction. There could have been an apology made and maybe some disciplinary action levied against Zaruba. The firing made this molehill into a mountain of questionable PR that the school may soon regret.
The other take is prompted by a local talk host Ron Smith in Baltimore. Yesterday, on his show, Mr. Smith said “I wondered what would have happened if he had been black.” Zaruba is white and the comment was said to assume that race is the primary reason why Zaruba was fired from his teaching post.
As an African-American adjunct, if I had used the “N” word during lecture, I would had a serious discussion with my chair, the dean and the provost before I was told that my services were no longer required. The issue here is not race but context and relationship.
I know that if I was to use that word in an academic environment, I would get tossed out on my ear. I also know that if I were to walk up to another African-American male and use the “N” word indiscriminately, I would probably be dodging a fist or another blunt object. The word, used in familiar relationships such as with friends or family is sometimes appropriate; in other settings – at best, it is best unused or altogether avoided.
Context and relationship matters – maybe one day we will understand that before jumping to conclusions.
A note of thanks to Polimom, CStanley and jchem who helped me to clarify my post. The clarification is appreciated and the “rightly so” is gone 😉
Faculty, Department of Political Science, Towson University. Graduate from Liberty University Seminary.