White Towson Professor Fired for Using the N-Word

A Towson University adjunct professor has been fired for using the N-word during a lecture.

Allen Zaruba was teaching a visual concepts class and discussing a chapter about identity when he said that he was: "a nigger on the corporate plantation."

Zaruba, who told the press that his stepfather was black, said he did not mean the comments to be racist. He said he regretted the words as soon as he uttered them.

"I am not a racist. I never have been. I've been raised overseas and in other cultures. It just absolutely kills me," Zaruba said.

A couple of students in the class said they did not think Zaruba, who is also a professional artist, was trying to be racist and that he tries to be confrontational in the course.

"He's very honest in his descriptions, and sometimes when he describes things, he uses words that I guess a lot of people would find ... offensive," sophomore Maria Bernier told the Towson University campus paper.

"He used the word to illustrate a point. He wasn't trying to offend anyone. And obviously ... we were understanding," she said. "And going into our class, you kind of should expect some level of shockingness and, you know, in your face [content]."
Nevertheless, someone in the class was offended and reported Zaruba's comments. A few days later, he was dismissed. As an adjunct, Zaruba serves at the discrection of the university's president. Zaruba said he has reached out to administration officials to plead his case.

There are a couple of lessons to take from this incident. First, the university should have at least done a full investigation before firing Zaruba. They should have spoken to some students and then at least have given Zaruba a chance to explain his comments. Zaruba is a Fulbright Scholar who has taught at the university for 12 years, so the school must have liked something about the guy.

"I think that this was an overreaction, simply, because I don't think the administration understood the context and the difficulty and the challenge of the subject matter and the class," Zaruba said.

Secondly, people should learn that using the N-word or other racial slurs is neither trendy nor hip. Class should not be a Paul Mooney comedy sketch.There are times when professors must use the N-word and other slurs in class to teach history and other important lessons.

If Zaruba used the word in class it should have been to illustrate an important point, not to make a flippant comment.