Accounting professor Gordon Kleinโs students demanded he institute a โno-harmโ final exam that would have provided special privileges for students of color by shortening the length of the exams, Inside Higher Edย reported.
As reported by theย Daily Wireย in June, students at UCLA demanded that two professors, including Klein, be fired for their refusal to go along with the demand.
A bunch of students wrote him a letter after George Floyd died. โThe unjust murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Briona Taylor and George Floyd, the actions of Amy Cooper in the violent conduct of the U.C.P.D. Thatโs the University of California police department in our own neighborhood. Iโve lived in fear and anxiety, which is further compounded by the disproportionate effect of Covid on the black community. This is not a joint effort to get finals canceled for black, non-black students, but rather to ask that you exercise compassion and leniency with black students in our major.โ
Good grief, but okay. They petitioned Professor Klein to get a letter grade higher for nothing.
He was โshockedโ by the proposal, which he found โdeeply patronizing and offensiveโ to black students.
Mr. Klein wrote back, quote, โThanks for your suggestion in your email that I give black students special treatment, given the tragedy in Minnesota. Do you know the names of the classmates that are black? How can I identify them? Since weโve only been having online classes. Are there any students of mixed parentage such as half black, half Asian? What do you suggest I do with respect to them? A full concession or just half?โ
We like him, only it got him suspended. Antonio Bernardo, the dean of the Anderson School of Management tried to get him fired.
He was reinstated by UCLA because he didnโt do anything wrong, and now heโs suing the university.
He is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorneysโ fees. He says he has suffered significant damage to his reputation and earning power. He lost $500,000 in consulting fees because he was trashed unfairly as a racist by UCLA. He will get a lot of money and itโs well-deserved.
Subscribe to the Daily Newsletter