A while back I wrote about the Florida University professor who asked his students to write the word “Jesus” on a piece of paper, then step on it. One student declined the assignment and all heck broke loose.
Here’s the update:
The university has apologized.
“We sincerely apologize for any offense this has caused,” the apology said. “Florida Atlantic University respects all religions and welcomes people of all faiths, backgrounds and beliefs.”
The professor is on administrative leave.
Also, the professor says he never told the students to “stomp” on Jesus.
Finally, Inside Higher Ed has interviewed the professor. A couple things jumped out at me:
1. He never told his students to “stomp” on Jesus. I had a hunch this was the case.
2. This was why the student was suspended:
After class, the student came up to him, and made that statement again, this time hitting his balled fist into his other hand and saying that “he wanted to hit me.” While the student did not do so, Poole said he was alarmed and notified campus security and filed a report on the student.
That action, he said, not the student’s objection to the exercise, is why the student briefly faced disciplinary action. (Poole’s account of course differs from that of the student. Here’s a local news article with the student’s perspective. When Inside Higher Ed interviewed the student’s lawyer last week about reports that a threat was made, the lawyer strongly denied this, and said that charge was a pretext to punish the student for objecting to the exercise.)
3. The professor is not anti-religious.
“I am very religious,” he said. “I see how the name Jesus is symbolic. For people like myself, Jesus is my lord and savior. It’s how I identify myself as a Christian.”
4. The activity wasn’t designed to defile Jesus, it…
He noted that the idea behind the exercise isn’t that students will actually step on Jesus, but that most will pause and that their discomfort sets off the discussion. He said he saw at least one student who did step on the paper, and talked about not feeling much of a connection to Jesus. But he said most didn’t, and that was fine with him. No students, he said, were forced to do anything.
Dr. Poole has received death threats and questions whether he still is employed.
Poole said he has no idea if the university will renew his contract. But asked if he would like to return, he doesn’t hesitate to say that he would. “I love my students and I want to continue to make a difference in their lives.”
