AVOID ALL OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE

Retraumatization, an unsafe environment, disrespect and racial battle fatigue are all things professor J. Angelo Corlett created for his philosophy students at San Diego State University.

Students in his class were forced to endure hearing the N-word over and over again, hear him imitate a Black person saying the N-word, and listen to his use of inappropriate and offensive language.

According to the Associated Students of SDSU, Corlett also made the comment that because he was tenured, the only way that he would be fired is if he raped or killed a student. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and puts our SDSU students at great risk. This type of offensive speech by anyone can easily lead to secondary trauma — emotional stress that occurs when one hears about a firsthand trauma experience of someone else — for many students of color.

Corlett is a repeat offender who has traumatized a multitude of students through the years in the same manner. There is absolutely no reason to use offensive language anytime, let alone when teaching a class, and there is no valid reason to display arrogance regarding tenure in an inappropriate manner.

While I support academic freedom and freedom of speech, it should not be at the expense of the mental health and well-being of any of our students. Students were traumatized and offended, and Corlett’s actions are not supported under academic freedom nor were his actions professional. His actions were also in direct violation of SDSU’S Principles of Community. Students pay tuition to attend SDSU to get the best education possible. It is absurd that students have to deal with hearing offensive racial slurs when trying to secure a higher education. The university made the right decision in removing him from his course to protect the students and showing that this kind of vulgar behavior should not be tolerated.

Now that Corlett has been removed from the classroom, as a Black student, I feel extremely heard, protected and

seen. Black students are often expected to endure hearing this type of horrific language, and when students spoke up and out, this time SDSU heard them loud and clear.

I appreciate the university taking such a clear and supportive stance on the matter. SDSU has set a high standard for itself and other universities and has been a great example of how to handle situations in support of students and their well-being. Unfortunately, some of the public does not feel the same way and seems to feel as though his academic freedom was taken away. To this, I ask: Why are we not focusing on the students and how they are feeling? Why are we not focusing on the clear trauma and harm that Corlett’s actions have caused? Why are we not focusing on the well-being of the students in his courses? Why are we not uplifting SDSU for accurately removing a tenured yet harmful professor from his course to protect our students?

Academic freedom does not give one the right to harm, traumatize and offend students. Corlett’s academic freedom was not taken away as his actions were unprofessional conduct, not academic freedom. This should not be a debate. Students were hurt and traumatized and felt unsafe in a class they pay to attend. The students’ safety and well-being should always come before anything else.