This story was originally published by Daily Montanan:
URL: https://dailymontanan.com
This story has not been altered or edited.
(C) Daily Montanan. Licensed for re-distribution through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
------------



University of Montana professor who made racist remarks out for semester – Daily Montanan

['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- March']

Date: 2022-03-17 00:00:00

An embattled University of Montana business professor will not be teaching the rest of the semester — although he remains employed — after students called for him to resign or be fired for racist remarks he made in private communications.

The Montana Kaimin first reported Professor Clayton Looney’s temporary leave. UM confirmed Looney made the decision to step back on his own and is expected to return to teaching at the College of Business in the fall. In the meantime, UM said Looney would continue to be paid his $130,280 salary.

Looney, who is in the Department of Management Information Systems, could not be reached for comment via email Thursday afternoon about the reason he is stepping aside. An email to the dean of the department returned an out of office message.

The interim absence takes place just weeks after students demonstrated multiple times for his firing and resignation.

Last year, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX investigated Looney after a student presented communications that showed Looney using racist comments including the “n” word and slurs denigrating Black people and Muslims in personal messages. UM deemed the matter a “non-workplace issue,” and in the fall, Looney told the Daily Montanan he completed a sensitivity course and also said his words were taken out of context.

This spring, the matter caught the attention of students at UM. The Associated Students of the University of Montana passed a resolution that called for his resignation and also said in part that “blatant displays of racism do not need context.” It discouraged students from enrolling in Looney’s elective courses. A student protest earlier this month called on Looney to step down and the administration to fire him and protect student safety over policies students argue shield racism on campus.

Wednesday, students in a business class received an email from MIS Department Chair Isho Tama-Sweet, who said Looney would not be teaching the remainder of the semester. The email said another faculty member would take over the class for the rest of the school year, and an update would be available over spring break after details are finalized.

“On a personal level and on behalf of the MIS Department, I would like to apologize for the difficult situation this semester in BMIS 478,” the email said. “And I want to assure you that we are committed to your success in finishing this class and continuing your progress toward your degree.”

The reason Looney chose to temporarily step aside was not clear Thursday.

However, the event follows other high profile resignations this school year at the flagship. In the fall, the law school dean and associate dean of students stepped down after students reported the leaders discouraged them from taking discrimination allegations including sexual assault to the Title IX office; the former dean, Paul Kirgis, remains on faculty, but former associate dean Sally Weaver is expected to be out this school year when her contract expires.

A computer science faculty member also resigned after a Kaimin investigation uncovered a blog where he made sexist, homophobic and Islamophobic posts and students called for him to go.

[END]

[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/03/17/university-of-montana-professor-who-made-racist-remarks-out-for-semester/

Content is licensed through Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/