Psych professor on leave after shock video shows him ‘giving’ Duquesne University class ‘permission’ to use the N-WORD
A DUQUESNE University professor who was caught on video telling his students it was okay to use the n-word “in a pedagogical sense” has been placed on paid leave.
Gary Shank was teaching an educational psychology class online when he was filmed by one of his students, who posted the video to Twitter on Friday, repeatedly using the racial slur.
Generett told the outlet she had also sent a letter to students in the class as soon as she learned about what happened and thanked students for coming forward about the incident.
The Duquesne Duke, a student newspaper, in the following lecture and obtained an email Shank sent to his class in the aftermath.
“I used a term that I now realize was deeply troubling to the class. It was not my intent to do so, but I must take responsibility for the impact of my words and teaching,” he wrote.
Shank continued: “As a consequence, I am offering each and every one of you my most sincere apology and my guarantee that I will never cross this line again in our class.”
Sophomore Kaytlin Black told the student paper that her “heart seriously goes out to him right now.”
“I just wish for two seconds we could look at both sides and acknowledge he’s human. He wasn’t saying the things he did to hurt anyone or target anyone. He took a point he was trying to make just way too far,” she said.
Several have described Shank as “a nice guy” who “really cares about his students.”
“He is the nicest professor ever, he really is a great guy but I wouldn't say a great professor. He has no structure to his classes at all,” one former student wrote.