The Virginia Commonwealth University has decided not to assign classes to the professor who called security on a black adjunct faculty member.
The decision was taken by the Department of Equity and Access a month after a professor, identified as White-Hispanic, called security on Caitlin Cherry, a known artist and visiting professor at the school. She was let off after showing the school identity badge, according to the Atlanta Black Star.
The incident received flak from community members, with growing demands for strengthening inclusion and diversity on campus.
“We do want VCU to take some sort of accountability. We do want accountability from the professor. We would like him to apologize,” university senior Brianna Scott told NBC 12. “He thought that she didn’t belong in that room. Didn’t even give her the benefit of the doubt. Didn’t even speak to her. I think that was the most frustrating thing for her.”
Recently, the university completed an investigation into the incident but declined to make public its findings.
“Our university opened an inquiry into the incident, met with and provided support for those involved, and now has concluded its inquiry. We are not permitted to publicly discuss the details of this incident nor the findings of the inquiry,” university president Michael Rao wrote in a letter to community members.
“I will state unequivocally that our core values leave no room for compromise. When the boundaries of common courtesy, decency, and respect are crossed for any one of us, then we are all affected.”
Rao further said that in the next few months, the university is considering taking several steps to examine campus’ culture and ensure “accountability, fairness, and justice.”
