A professor at the Boston-based Catholic liberal arts school Emmanuel was fired on Thursday after saying "pow," while pointing a marker at a student - during a classroom discussion about the VT shootings!
Emmanuel issued a press release saying that it does not condone discriminatory or obscene language.
How exactly is that discriminatory? I guess he only did it to a few students. Obscene? As far as I know it wasn't obscene. It was definitely "too soon," though, judging by Emmanuel's knee-jerk reaction.
While Emmanuel has every right to fire professors at will, in my opinion... this was not something that should have led to a firing. It is an abridgment of free speech, something that has been happening quite often in the news lately. If students in the room had been offended and had clamored for his removal, then I would be more understanding. But according to that article a student in the room did the same to the professor - "pow!" - was he expelled, or at least suspended? The article does not say, but I suspect not.
If it was truly "discriminatory or obscene gestures," then punishment should be applied across the board. But as the facts stand, this is simply an issue of free speech being reigned in - legally... but not wisely.