Bottom Of The Barrel

Winset YouTubes Back

Adjunct Professor Nicholas Winset was fired from Emmanuel College on Friday because of his in-class performance and discussion. Here is the official school statement on the subject:

On Wednesday, April 18th, an inappropriate incident occurred in an Emmanuel classroom which caused a great deal of concern within the College community. An adjunct faculty member made statements regarding the shootings at Virginia Tech University which prompted students and parents to contact the administration with complaints.

Emmanuel College has clear standards of classroom and campus conduct, and does not in any way condone the use of discriminatory or obscene language by any member of the College community.

Emmanuel College, like other colleges in the country, cannot tolerate any behavior or action which makes light of or mimics the terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech.

At Emmanuel College, the well-being of our student body is a primary concern, and the action taken, which was to dismiss the adjunct faculty member, reflects this belief.

In response Winset has posted a 4-part 18-minute YouTube video because the media has not accurately reported his story. In part one, Winset oulines that the basis of the in-class discussion was to discuss both gun control and self-protectionism. Interestingly enough at the end of part one he was going to outline he lesson plan but stopped short. I wonder why?

In part two, Winset states he was encouraged by the school's administration to discuss the students fears which he went on to say that he found this to be "ridiculous" - "statistically" the students are more likely to be struck by lightning or hit by a perorate instead of a "mad man shooting" he continued. He went on to discuss, in class, his views on violence. How does this allow the students to discuss their fears?

After Winset gave the students his views on violence, he then told the class that they were going to do a short exercise in memory of the Virginia Tech massacre of April 16th. Note this was only 2 days prior to this class. He also comments that he is "quite the performer in class". Is his Financial Accounting class education or entertainment? He also comments how he typically shows music videos because many of his students are "hung over" in the morning. Is this fredom of speach or a mockery of modern higher education?

Then holding a dry erase marker as a gun and asked them to acknowledge he was holding a marker and secondly to agree to participate in the exercise. He didn't indicate that if the students actually knew what he was about to do when he asked for their consent and given the next thing he says, I think they did not understand what was going to happen. He states he walked about the class shooting students in a reinactment of the Tech masacer and then a student pulled out his magic dry marker gun, given to him by the professor and prepped in what he wanted to happen, shot the back at the professor. This was done to highlight his personal views on fighting back in a violet situation and gun control.

In part three, Winset defends his discuss stating he is a believer of discussing ideas which are generally controversial in nature. He then reveals the real lesson plan was an examination of the markets, real estate investment trusts or sally mae type stocks and there reaction to the V-Tech tragedy. He finishes up this part by stating this was only news because it happened at "a rich white school".

In part four, Winset takes aim right an the college and states that he is mostly concerned about his students and that they don't get a final or to finish his class which they "paid for". He also feels the root of the complaint is from a single student who is failing and has failed this course before. He continued by saying this was one of the least controversial issues he has discussed and he goes on to list several financial hot-button issues that he has discussed in class. Winset does takes a quick shot at the dioceses and their past problems and he closes stating that this kind of action by the college is the start of the end of the university system here in the US.

So who's right and who's wrong?

Winset. His in-class performance was unnecessary and very discompanionate. Studying the markets reaction to April 16th seems like an interesting discussion but using this tragedy to interject your personal beliefs on gun control and violence to combat violence is completely unnecessary. Could he have had this discuss without putting on a song-and-dance routine? Of course but unfortunately the performer in him wouldn't allow it. Maybe he should look for a new job at a performing arts college.

Winset also feels this is a new era of "prissiness" and that the students fears are ridiculous. Didn't every American have some trepidation the first time they boarded a plane post 9/11? It's natural. It's human nature. Their kids. I find it ridiculous that a highly educated college professor doesn't have the first clue about the mind set of his students. I don't find this issue to be about freedom of speech but rather misconduct at work in a place of business - let's not forget running an institution of higher learning is a business. If I was to go into my bosses office this morning and tell him that he is a jackass, doesn't know how to run a business and proceed to juggle in my office all day do you think there would be some discourse? Absolutely - and rightfully so. You go to work, you do your job and you perform that job within a set of boundaries. College, software company, restaurant, whatever. Every place of employment has rules and consequences for breaking them.

Winset said that the shooting at Virginia Tech was not news yet complains that the media has not given him the proper attention. This seems quite hypocritical and one has to ask, is this news only because it happened at a rich white catholic school? Further did the markets react in any way to the dismissal of a single professor in Boston? Maybe the answers to those questions would lead to a nice discussion to close this semesters Financial Accounting class.

Labels: College, Op-Ed

posted by TheWino @ 8:17 AM