Laurence Thomas began his Tuesday philosophy class like any other. The professor engaged his PHI 191 lecture of more than 400 students, turned on some music and began making idle conversation about contemporary politics.

By the day’s end, a controversial letter dealing with race from Thomas to students and administration left some even questioning the professor’s future at Syracuse University.

After witnessing a student in the front row sending a text message during his lecture, Thomas shouted ‘I’m done!’ and dismissed his class from Grant Auditorium – the second time the professor has dismissed the class in the last five days.

‘He started the lecture about how he left the last class, and then he saw a girl text messaging and he slammed down his papers and left,’ said Zack Smith, a sophomore advertising major in the class.

The dismissal sparked a rift between Thomas and some of his students, prompting the professor to write a letter Tuesday to Chancellor Nancy Cantor, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Cathryn Newton and all of his students that included remarks about race and respect.

Thomas, a tenured professor who has taught for more than 10 years at several universities, said the student who was sending the text message was Cuban.

‘This is the second time in two years that non-white students have been utterly brazen in their disrespect for me,’ said Thomas in the letter. ‘A year ago, two Latino students in the front row began playing tic-tac-toe during the lecture.’

Before the incident occurred, Thomas and the student were in a conversation regarding politics, when he assumed she was white.

‘I actually turn to that particular woman and talk to her about being liberal or conservative, because nowadays everyone’s trying to guess, right?’ Thomas said in a phone interview Wednesday. ‘And so I said (to her) ‘As a white student, do you think I’m liberal or conservative?’ And she says ‘Oh! I’m Cuban!”

Thomas defended his assumption by saying the student’s race was not made apparent.

‘I think you’re Arabic because you look Arabic. Let’s say your last name is Azula. I’m probably going to think Arabic, you know what I mean?’ Thomas said.

In the letter, Thomas, a black man, said he was right in his action, seeing as the student would not have realized he was Jewish, remarking ‘I understand that I do not have the ‘Jewish’ look.’

As of Wednesday, Newton had yet to take a good look at the letter, or investigate into the situation, she said.

‘I see from the e-mail that was copied that there were some concerns about yesterday’s class,’ Newton said in a telephone interview. ‘And I plan to connect with Laurence very soon to learn about his concerns.’

Both Cantor and Robert Van Gulick, chair of the philosophy department, declined to comment.

Although Thomas maintained the altercation dealt with a racial issue in the letter, some of his students failed to see any connection, suggesting that ‘playing the race card’ was unnecessary.

‘I understand where he was coming from about being disrespected because that was kind of screwed up, but I didn’t like that he played the race card,’ said a student in Thomas’ class who wished to remain anonymous. ‘I didn’t see why he needed to do that in the e-mail (letter). I mean, maybe he has a better explanation for it than I do.’

Alex Silverman, a junior broadcast journalism major in Thomas’ class, said having the professor make an issue out of race was offensive in itself.

‘To make this about race is an insult to anyone who has ever been the victim of racism,’ Silverman said. ‘It was a girl sending a text message, nothing more. I can honestly say I have lost a lot of respect for Laurence Thomas, and it’s going to be difficult to take him seriously.’

In a second e-mail issued to his students on Wednesday, Thomas shed a new light on the incident, portraying it as a lesson titled: ‘Courageous or a Fool: Looking for a Learning Experience.’ The professor described his behavior as courageous, saying it was the right thing to do in the face of disrespect.

Although Thomas reinforced his position on the racial issue in the second letter, there was still no direct correlation made between the dismissal of the students in his class, and the confrontation between him and the Cuban student.

Thomas also addressed the chancellor and dean in the second letter.

‘The chancellor and the dean of The College of Arts and Sciences may profoundly disapprove of what I have done. Although I am a tenured full professor with a very serious publication record, someone could nonetheless seek to undermine me and dislodge me from my professorship,’ Thomas said.

As for Thomas, he is not ruling out the possibility that the tirade could cost him his position.

‘Almost no one is so good that she or he cannot be gotten rid of,’ he said in the second e-mail to his students. ‘I have successfully filled Grant Auditorium for more than a decade. Yet, someone may see me as a threat to her or his power.’

Asst. news editor Stephanie Musat contributed reporting to this story.

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on March 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm