NY prof suspended for Colorado shootings remark


A professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy faces dismissal for joking about the Colorado movie theater shootings in front of his students, including one whose father was among the victims, the Associated Press reports. According to an internal personnel document obtained by the New York Times (http://nyti.ms/NCVm4f ), Gregory F. Sullivan was suspended from his tenured position as humanities instructor for telling his classroom before showing a documentary: “If someone with orange hair appears in the corner of the room, run for the exit.”

James Holmes, the suspect in the Aurora, Colo., mass shooting, has dyed his hair bright orange.

The professor had just turned down the lights to show the documentary and was preparing to step out for a few minutes when he made the remark. Shashi Kumar, the institution’s academic dean, called the joke “notoriously disgraceful conduct” and recommended that Sullivan be fired. The internal document said Sullivan was informed on Aug. 10 that he had 10 days to contest his dismissal…

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