When students attended Laurence Thomas’ lecture last Thursday, their experience was quite different than the one they had just two days earlier.

A relaxed Thomas began his PHI 191 lecture by talking to students and playing a selection from one of his favorite gospel-style hits. Although his students appeared immersed in discussion about what had happened in the class just two days before, the professor continued with class as usual.

On Tuesday, March 25, Thomas canceled class after witnessing one of his students text messaging in the front row. Following the dismissal, Thomas sent a series of e-mails to the students and several faculty members, discussing issues surrounding the student’s race as well as disrespect in the classroom

Jonathan Strickberger, a freshman management major and student in Thomas’ class, said he was aware of various e-mails and postings Thomas made following the lecture but has not witnessed anything directly.

Another student in Thomas’ class said moving on was the right thing to do, citing the fact the event was ‘over and done with.’

The student, who wished not to be identified, said she agreed with Thomas’ decision to continue normally even though the class remains divided over the issue.

‘Half the kids are like ‘How can you do this? We pay for this, and you leave class,” she said.

In a letter to his students, Thomas requested they all refrain from discussing the matter on the course’s listserv, which had been populated before with the discussions of race and disrespect that sparked the original incident.

But Thomas supplemented that letter with another follow-up titled ‘The respect of my students: A moral balm,’ attempting to put the situation to rest.

‘There is no end to the number of students who respect and admire me and who appreciate my endeavors. And that respect has reached across every conceivable ethnic combination,’ Thomas said in a letter to Chancellor Nancy Cantor, The College of Arts and Sciences Dean Cathryn Newton, his students and The Daily Orange.

‘Thus, among those students who have written a most supportive note is a Shiite Muslim. In this complicated world, affirmation does not get any richer than that,’ he said.

Newton, who has been monitoring the incident, said she and Thomas are looking to get together and talk about what happened in his lecture that Tuesday.

Newton also said no action regarding the firing of Thomas has or will be taken as a reprimand for his actions.

‘The chancellor and I, when this issue had been raised, wrote back to a couple of people who had written in concern to say ‘absolutely not, (his firing) is not being considered,” she said.

Cantor, who called Thomas’ suggestion that he may be fired ‘erroneous,’ contacted Newton shortly after the incident occurred.

Newton said there are some matters that need to be cleared up between her and Thomas – something she hopes to resolve in the meeting between the two.

‘I want us to continue to talk about some of the issues that are arising here,’ she said. ‘Professor Thomas and I have a long collegial history, and I have several concerns that I want to discuss with him further.’

The issues, Newton said, were mostly stemming from the correspondence between Thomas, his students and the administration following his lecture Tuesday, March 25.

‘I agree that it’s something to monitor,’ Newton said. ‘This really is considered a course that students want to take and feel engaged in, so I’m really committed to both the students and also to helping faculty to maintain the kind of respectful atmosphere in their class that they need to.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on April 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm