The struggle for racial equality has besieged the faculty. On June 6, students from the University of California belonging to a group defining themselves as “not black, but allies” had started by asking their teachers to cancel or postpone the end-of-year exams for students from “minorities”.
A request to which Gordon Klein, professor of accounting, immediately answered “no”, arguing in an email that he could not “identify” his students according to their race. But the group behind the request did not wish to stop there.
Denouncing the professor’s “mocking” tone, its members launched a petition purely and simply asking for his ouster.
A few days later, the requirements of the students went up a notch: they asked Gordon Klein to adapt his rating for black students in the accounting course, and to extend the deadlines for sending certain work.
The negative response from the professor that followed this time, ignited the controversy, and the petition, widely relayed on social networks, rose to 20 000 signatures and had the expected effect.
According to French daily le Figaro, Gordon Klein was suspended until June 25 by the University School of Management. And that did not stop there, since the hierarchy has planned to use these three weeks of suspension to decide the final fate of its employee.
Knowing that the author of the petition requested that the professor be “completely removed from office”, his future professional life now hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, Gordon Klein’s home has also been placed under protection following serious threats.
