A university chancellor in the US is under pressure to resign over a racist Asian joke he made at a commencement ceremony earlier this month.
The Board of Trustees of Purdue University Northwest has issued a formal reprimand to chancellor Thomas Keon in response to the comments he made at an event on 10 December in Indiana.
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee has also demanded that Keon should stand down.
Though he apologised for his ‘unplanned, off-the-cuff response’, calls for the chancellor to step down still continue.
Mike Berghoff, the chair of the board, described Keon’s statements as ‘extremely offensive and insensitive’.
“Each member of the Purdue Board of Trustees has had the opportunity to review the entirety of the Dec. 10 commencement at Purdue University Northwest to examine the context of chancellor Keon’s remark,” Berghoff said.
“Each has concluded that, in addition to its being extremely offensive and insensitive (as Dr. Keon himself has acknowledged in his apology), this offhand attempt at humor was in poor taste, unbecoming of his role as chancellor, and unacceptable for an occasion that should be remembered solely for its celebratory and unifying atmosphere. The Board has therefore issued a formal reprimand to Dr. Keon.”
Purdue Northwest Faculty Senate Chairman Thomas Roach has demanded the university to dismiss the chancellor.
In an open letter addressed to the trustees, Roach said that Keon continuing in his role is an ‘insult to the Asian community’.
“We are not demanding his removal to punish him, we require his removal because he is not qualified to represent us. This decision by the board of trustees is negligent and unacceptable, and your explanation for your inaction insults our intelligence,” he was quoted as saying in the letter.
Meanwhile, the chancellor received only 20 votes of confidence against 135 votes of no-confidence during a no-confidence motion moved by the committee last week.
In a video posted on the YouTube channel of the university, Keon was seen using made-up words after taking the podium following a speech from a commencement speaker.
As the crowd laughed he said: “That’s sort of my Asian version of his….” referring to the previous speaker.
“I made a comment that was offensive and insensitive. I am truly sorry for my unplanned, off-the-cuff response to another speaker,” Keon said in a public apology on the university’s Twitter account on 14 December.
“I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful, and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values.”
Keon has been serving as the chancellor of the university since 2016. Previously, he served in administrative positions at the University of Central Florida, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Purdue Northwest has about 9,000 students at campuses in Hammond and Westville.
According to reports, Keon can only be removed by the university’s board of trustees or president.
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