US professor fired after mixing up two black students in class, sending bizarre email

[Metaphor]

Professor sacked over ‘innocent’ mix up

A Fordham University professor was fired after mixing up the names of two black students in class, according to a report.

www.news.com.au

A Fordham University professor was fired after mixing up the names of two black students in class, according to a report.

Hours after what he called an “innocent mistake”, US lecturer Christopher Trogan, 46, sent a rambling, nine-page email to students in his Composition II classes explaining the faux pas — and defending, without being asked, his “entire life” of working on “issues of justice, equality, and inclusion”, the campus newspaper reported, according to the New York Post.

“The offended student assumed my mistake was because I confused that student with another Black student,” Prof Trogan wrote, according to a November 29 article in the Fordham Observer.

“I have done my best to validate and reassure the offended student that I made a simple, human, error. It has nothing to do with race.”

He blamed the mistake on his “confused brain” when the two students arrived to class late on September 24, while he was reading a classmate’s work.

Several students said Prof Trogan’s bizarre over-reaction, rather than making a simple apology, made matters worse for him.

The email was “a little excessive”, one of the two black students, freshman Chantal Sims, told the Observer.

“We were not actually that upset about him mixing up our names. It was more so the random things he would throw into the response,” she said.

In the email, he urged any students upset by the incident to complain to the school. “Depending on your response to the officials above, I may — or may not — be your professor in class next week. It’s all up to you,” he wrote.

Ms Sims told the paper Prof Trogan’s email stressed “everything he has done for minorities”.

He was fired on October 29, the paper reported.

“Trogan was a nice teacher for the five classes that I had him for, but he never attempted to get to know me personally (in a 14 person class),” wrote one newspaper commenter who claimed to be in the Composition II class.

“I don’t think he deserved to get fired, but his response to a small issue was what blew the entire thing up.”

Fordham spokesman Bob Howe told The Post the school “takes personnel matters very seriously” but claimed “media representations regarding this issue do not reflect the facts in Dr Trogan’s case.” He refused to elaborate.

Prof Trogan was a popular instructor, according to dozens of reviews on Rate My Professor.

“He doesn’t quite let on how much he knows and what he’s accomplished, but he is quite brilliant but humble and not stuck up,” a former student wrote.

Neither Prof Trogan, his union, nor Ms Sims, returned messages. The second student, who has remained anonymous, declined to comment to The Post through an intermediary.

The school has not said whether Trogan was fired for the mixup itself or the email that followed, or something else. I believe his email was the result of a desperate attempt not to be cancelled, but ironically it perhaps turned a possibility into an actuality.

 

[ZiprHead]

Is this a case of "Methinks thou doth protest too much"?

The school has not said whether Trogan was fired for the mixup itself or the email that followed, or something else.

In the US, employment matters are always kept private. We may never know the details of why this occured.

 

[Metaphor]

In the US, employment matters are always kept private. We may never know the details of why this occured.

That can't be right. People take employers to court, for example. And if the professor decided to speak out, surely the university could not prevent him from doing so?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Professor sacked over ‘innocent’ mix up

A Fordham University professor was fired after mixing up the names of two black students in class, according to a report.

www.news.com.au

A Fordham University professor was fired after mixing up the names of two black students in class, according to a report.

Hours after what he called an “innocent mistake”, US lecturer Christopher Trogan, 46, sent a rambling, nine-page email to students in his Composition II classes explaining the faux pas — and defending, without being asked, his “entire life” of working on “issues of justice, equality, and inclusion”, the campus newspaper reported, according to the New York Post.

“The offended student assumed my mistake was because I confused that student with another Black student,” Prof Trogan wrote, according to a November 29 article in the Fordham Observer.

“I have done my best to validate and reassure the offended student that I made a simple, human, error. It has nothing to do with race.”

He blamed the mistake on his “confused brain” when the two students arrived to class late on September 24, while he was reading a classmate’s work.

Several students said Prof Trogan’s bizarre over-reaction, rather than making a simple apology, made matters worse for him.

The email was “a little excessive”, one of the two black students, freshman Chantal Sims, told the Observer.

“We were not actually that upset about him mixing up our names. It was more so the random things he would throw into the response,” she said.

In the email, he urged any students upset by the incident to complain to the school. “Depending on your response to the officials above, I may — or may not — be your professor in class next week. It’s all up to you,” he wrote.

Ms Sims told the paper Prof Trogan’s email stressed “everything he has done for minorities”.

He was fired on October 29, the paper reported.

“Trogan was a nice teacher for the five classes that I had him for, but he never attempted to get to know me personally (in a 14 person class),” wrote one newspaper commenter who claimed to be in the Composition II class.

“I don’t think he deserved to get fired, but his response to a small issue was what blew the entire thing up.”

Fordham spokesman Bob Howe told The Post the school “takes personnel matters very seriously” but claimed “media representations regarding this issue do not reflect the facts in Dr Trogan’s case.” He refused to elaborate.

Prof Trogan was a popular instructor, according to dozens of reviews on Rate My Professor.

“He doesn’t quite let on how much he knows and what he’s accomplished, but he is quite brilliant but humble and not stuck up,” a former student wrote.

Neither Prof Trogan, his union, nor Ms Sims, returned messages. The second student, who has remained anonymous, declined to comment to The Post through an intermediary.

The school has not said whether Trogan was fired for the mixup itself or the email that followed, or something else. I believe his email was the result of a desperate attempt not to be cancelled, but ironically it perhaps turned a possibility into an actuality.

It is safe to say that unless one is alt-right woke, it was the nine page rambling email. I'm not certain I could write a nine page email.

I just hope Metaphor can move on from this, despite all the scarring it will leave. I know collegiate issues at a University in the Bronx, are amongst the highest of his concerns.

 

[LoAmmo]

I just hope Metaphor can move on from this, despite all the scarring it will leave. I know collegiate issues at a University in the Bronx, are amongst the highest of his concerns.

I'm hopeful that the scarring will not only be minimized somewhat, initially, but will also heal faster, with at least the comforting knowledge that Professor Trogan uses the pronouns "he/him/his" self-referentially, which matches his, you know, cock and stuff.

 

[TomC]

In the US, employment matters are always kept private. We may never know the details of why this occured.

That can't be right. People take employers to court, for example. And if the professor decided to speak out, surely the university could not prevent him from doing so?

The rules are very different for (ex)employees.
Tom

 

[laughing dog]

In the US, employment matters are always kept private. We may never know the details of why this occured.

That can't be right. People take employers to court, for example. And if the professor decided to speak out, surely the university could not prevent him from doing so?

The university can not prevent this professor from speaking out. But we are getting the professor's version of events. The employer is usually prohibited by state or federal laws from giving its version of events unless this ends up in court.

 

[Gospel]

Sounds to me like all Trogan had to do was make an effort to remember a few students' names and call it a day. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But instead, the world gets another Metaphor thread.

 

[ZiprHead]

In the US, employment matters are always kept private. We may never know the details of why this occured.

That can't be right. People take employers to court, for example. And if the professor decided to speak out, surely the university could not prevent him from doing so?

Yes, if the professor takes it to court it becomes a public matter.

 

[laughing dog]

The New York Post is a relatively conservative newspaper. I have attached a link to the Fordham Student newspaper article on the incident - Professor Of English termination leaves unanswered questions. that may provide more information. The article mentions that the professor persistently misidentified one of the students. It also mentions that Trogan says it was his email, etc.... that caused the termination, not the misnaming.

 

[Jarhyn]

The New York Post is a relatively conservative newspaper. I have attached a link to the Fordham Student newspaper article on the incident - Professor Of English termination leaves unanswered questions. that may provide more information. The article mentions that the professor persistently misidentified one of the students. It also mentions that Trogan says it was his email, etc.... that caused the termination, not the misnaming.

Wow. So, not that you were going for this but this makes me realize one of my lifelong aspirations may be severely harmed by the fact I can't remember a name to save my ass.

I was misnaming my three employees for like, 4 weeks when I started at my current job. I still misname folks just because I am utter trash at names.

 

[Metaphor]

It is safe to say that unless one is alt-right woke, it was the nine page rambling email. I'm not certain I could write a nine page email.

Although you meant this merely as an insult, whether one is 'alt-right woke' or not does not change the fact of why he was fired.

I just hope Metaphor can move on from this, despite all the scarring it will leave. I know collegiate issues at a University in the Bronx, are amongst the highest of his concerns.

I appreciate your sincere concern for my health.

 

[Patooka]

Wow. So, not that you were going for this but this makes me realize one of my lifelong aspirations may be severely harmed by the fact I can't remember a name to save my ass.

I was misnaming my three employees for like, 4 weeks when I started at my current job. I still misname folks just because I am utter trash at names.

I must have comic book level superpowers, because usually I can spot the difference between someone who is just shit with names, and someone who is being deliberately obtuse when addressing others.

The New York Post is a relatively conservative newspaper.

Technically, Metaphor quoted from news.com.au, which raises another red flag in my eyes. Typically speaking, when a Murdoch outlet sources another Murdoch outlet, it's an attempt to give their spin on the story more legitimacy than it deserves. The most obvious example of this people on this forum would remember would be when FOX and the WSJ quoted the New York Post about Hunter Biden's laptop. A story so asinine that no journalist wanted their name associated with the story.

But that's the sort of incestuous echo chamber we've all come to expect from NewsCorp, I suppose.

 

[Jarhyn]

Wow. So, not that you were going for this but this makes me realize one of my lifelong aspirations may be severely harmed by the fact I can't remember a name to save my ass.

I was misnaming my three employees for like, 4 weeks when I started at my current job. I still misname folks just because I am utter trash at names.

I must have comic book level superpowers, because usually I can spot the difference between someone who is just shit with names, and someone who is being deliberately obtuse when addressing others.

The New York Post is a relatively conservative newspaper.

Technically, Metaphor quoted from news.com.au, which raises another red flag in my eyes. Typically speaking, when a Murdoch outlet sources another Murdoch outlet, it's an attempt to give their spin on the story more legitimacy than it deserves. The most obvious example of this people on this forum would remember would be when FOX and the WSJ quoted the New York Post about Hunter Biden's laptop. A story so asinine that no journalist wanted their name associated with the story.

But that's the sort of incestuous echo chamber we've all come to expect from NewsCorp, I suppose.

Honestly, I can usually tell the difference and my own inability even cues my own asshole alarm.

It happened again today, too.

Admittedly when someone is in the room and I know I'm not going to remember, I just ask before I address them.

 

[Metaphor]

I just hope Metaphor can move on from this, despite all the scarring it will leave. I know collegiate issues at a University in the Bronx, are amongst the highest of his concerns.

I'm hopeful that the scarring will not only be minimized somewhat, initially, but will also heal faster, with at least the comforting knowledge that Professor Trogan uses the pronouns "he/him/his" self-referentially, which matches his, you know, cock and stuff.

Thank you also for expressing your sincere concern for my health. It is touching to know that you came on to a thread you don't even care about to signal that virtuous concern.

 

[Metaphor]

Technically, Metaphor quoted from news.com.au, which raises another red flag in my eyes. Typically speaking, when a Murdoch outlet sources another Murdoch outlet, it's an attempt to give their spin on the story more legitimacy than it deserves. The most obvious example of this people on this forum would remember would be when FOX and the WSJ quoted the New York Post about Hunter Biden's laptop. A story so asinine that no journalist wanted their name associated with the story.

But that's the sort of incestuous echo chamber we've all come to expect from NewsCorp, I suppose.

Does quoting theroot make the story more legitimate?

Professor at Fordham University Fired for Mixing Up Two Black Students in Class

Was it an "innocent mistake" that got the professor fired or were the Black students too sensitive? You decide.

www.theroot.com

 

[Metaphor]

I must have comic book level superpowers, because usually I can spot the difference between someone who is just shit with names, and someone who is being deliberately obtuse when addressing others.

Do these superpowers extend to being able to observe somebody's sex?

 

[Metaphor]

But instead, the world gets another Metaphor thread.

I am so glad I am appreciated enough that people come on to my threads even when they have no interest in the particular subject matter.

 

[Patooka]

Does quoting theroot make the story more legitimate?

For me it does. I've just seen too many instances of Greg Sheridan quoting the Wall Street Journal in his op-eds in the Australian, then have Miranda Devine be used as an expert in Fox and Friends, or Sky News quoting Tucker Carlson for me to be anything but skeptical and cynical towards the News Ltd circle jerk. And never, not once do any of them disclose they work for the same company.

 

[Toni]

I would like to take a moment to plug a Netflix seri s called The Chair, starring Sandra Oh. It’s quite pertinent.