A white professor, who at one point taught at a historically Black university, is no longer a part of the school’s faculty after a video of him inappropriately addressing a student in class went viral. The educator says he quit, but the school’s administration released a statement detailing why they let him go.
The teacher’s name is Robert Evins Pickard, and he taught history at Tennessee State University, a 110-year-old institution. During a class, students captured on a cell phone video Pickard screaming in the face of a student saying, “What is your name? Out! Get out! You have failed this course, whatever your name is. Out! Out! Out! Out!”
Once informed about his behavior, according to WSMV, administrators at the Nashville institution said the school let him go because his “unprofessional” actions did not reflect the school’s goal to provide a “healthy and positive academic environment” for those enrolled.
In a statement released on Monday, Oct. 31, regarding Pickard’s termination, the HBCU said:
“The University is aware of the incident identified in the video clip being distributed in the media, including on social media. TSU does not tolerate unprofessional behavior in its classrooms or otherwise directed at students.”
The statement continues, “This incident runs afoul of the standard of behavior we expect from those charged with teaching and serving as role models for our students. The University has taken swift action, including personnel action, to address this incident and the faculty member shown in the video was immediately removed from the classroom and has been terminated.”
Pickard released his own statement saying, “I deeply regret what happened in class. I lost my temper and did something I should never have done,” he continued. “I have been under pressure lately, and I have been frustrated with students who pay attention to their cellphones and laptops, then wonder why they get low grades.”
He added, “That does not excuse my behavior. I apologized to the students and offered my resignation. I am now retired, as I had planned anyway. Please respect my privacy, it is over now.”
While Pickard says he “lost” his temper and that “pressure” got to him that day, students say this outburst was nothing new for the teacher.
“This professor is at Tennessee State University and apparently talks to students like this all the time. Something needs to be done,” one post on Twitter read.
Several of his actual students have documented their disdain for him for years on Rate My Professors, a website where students can write anonymous reviews about university teachers.
On Pickard’s page, students have rated him a 1.4 out 5. While most of the reviews have been made after the incident, a few date back to 2008.
Of the ratings, 63 out of 71 indicaed he was an awful teacher and only five provided a rating of good or better, with one student saying he was awesome.
Students left comments like “He’s racist,” “He is extremely unprofessional and anti-black,” “Just a boring guy,” “This teacher literally set us up t
