This is unacceptable- but our silence permits it.

[prisonchaplain]

I did a quick internet search and the story has been picked up by some mainstream conservative sources, including FOX and the Washington Examiner. If the student had written the name of a current political leader, I wonder if he would have been suspended for that. Perhaps as the professor was berating him, he could have responded, "Professor, could you tell us why YOU are not only refusing to step on my paper, but why you are angry that I am offending your sensibilities when you are so quick to offend mine--as a graded assignment?

[selek]

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An update:

University Apologizes for Stomping Jesus - Todd Starnes -

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A small victory for religious liberty and for genuine tolerance and respect- but a victory nonetheless.

Edited March 23, 2013 by selek

[Gwen]

...... Perhaps as the professor was berating him, .....

The op article did not say such took place. Do you have a link with more information as to what happened in the classroom?

If the professor did indeed get upset and angry at him then the professor needs to be disciplined. He clearly does not know how to read a lesson plan or carry out a lively, yet civil/appropriate, class discussion. He needs to be sent back to basic education classes. The first education class I took covered this concept.

Just to clarify I don't agree with the use of the name Jesus, if I were presented with such a lesson plan I would have modified it to something else. The precept of the activity is a good one, but yes tasteless in it's choice of details. My defense was of the lesson plan and teaching methods. All lesson plans are open to modification for the individual class room.

The suspension of the student was wrong. If the professor did indeed berate the student or get angry then he should be disciplined.

I do believe that there is a shift in our political culture that makes it acceptable to mock christians and traditional values and not other faiths or groups. I don't agree with becoming fanatical about it or seeing it when there is reasonable doubts about motive. There is so much to worry and stress and fight for that I think the need to pick battles is of vast importance. I just don't see this as one of them (unless the professor did lose his cool and stray from lesson plan).

As for examples of other ppl/groups being "attacked"....

I recall a class (ethnic diversity, I think it was called) I took where the professor asked each student to write their race/ethnicity on a piece of paper and leave it face up on the desk. He then had a man come in to talk about his journey to the united states. The man was as white as you can get, he walked in the room and announced that he was african american. He was born and raised in africa, immigrated to the states as an adult. He had dual citizenship. He was african american. Then he went around the room asking ppl that had african american written on their paper where they were from, most common answer "born and raised in the usa". He emphatically reprimanded them that they were not african american, there were american. He would ask them how much they knew about africa, had they ever been to africa, which of their ancestors immigrated from africa, etc. Oh ppl were hot, it definitely stirred discussion. By the end of the class everyone was calm and re-evaluating their self perceptions. Where did I come from? When? How? Who am I? What is my race/ethnicity/nationality/etc? But one thing was clear, everyone in that room was american. It was an amazing class carried out beautifully.

[Jenamarie]

The op article did not say such took place. Do you have a link with more information as to what happened in the classroom?

If the professor did indeed get upset and angry at him then the professor needs to be disciplined. He clearly does not know how to read a lesson plan or carry out a lively, yet civil/appropriate, class discussion. He needs to be sent back to basic education classes. The first education class I took covered this concept.

Just to clarify I don't agree with the use of the name Jesus, if I were presented with such a lesson plan I would have modified it to something else. The precept of the activity is a good one, but yes tasteless in it's choice of details. My defense was of the lesson plan and teaching methods. All lesson plans are open to modification for the individual class room.

The suspension of the student was wrong. If the professor did indeed berate the student or get angry then he should be disciplined.

I do believe that there is a shift in our political culture that makes it acceptable to mock christians and traditional values and not other faiths or groups. I don't agree with becoming fanatical about it or seeing it when there is reasonable doubts about motive. There is so much to worry and stress and fight for that I think the need to pick battles is of vast importance. I just don't see this as one of them (unless the professor did lose his cool and stray from lesson plan).

As for examples of other ppl/groups being "attacked"....

I recall a class (ethnic diversity, I think it was called) I took where the professor asked each student to write their race/ethnicity on a piece of paper and leave it face up on the desk. He then had a man come in to talk about his journey to the united states. The man was as white as you can get, he walked in the room and announced that he was african american. He was born and raised in africa, immigrated to the states as an adult. He had dual citizenship. He was african american. Then he went around the room asking ppl that had african american written on their paper where they were from, most common answer "born and raised in the usa". He emphatically reprimanded them that they were not african american, there were american. He would ask them how much they knew about africa, had they ever been to africa, which of their ancestors immigrated from africa, etc. Oh ppl were hot, it definitely stirred discussion. By the end of the class everyone was calm and re-evaluating their self perceptions. Where did I come from? When? How? Who am I? What is my race/ethnicity/nationality/etc? But one thing was clear, everyone in that room was american. It was an amazing class carried out beautifully.

Now you having me missing college! I LOVED those really thought provoking classes like that.

[prisonchaplain]

Gwen, the berating part of my scenario was indeed part of my fictitious one, in which I had the student preparing to stomp on the name of the professor's favored political leader. On the other hand, if the report of the initial suspension is true, there surely was some kind of public humiliation involved for the student.