Professor Faces Firing for Joke Tied to Shootings

[jasperdog]

LITS:

With respect but indeed picking up where Pima is leaving off. Speaking from first hand experience since while at USMMA 32 years ago and a third classman I lost a parent (Mother) suddenly and unexpectedly, I will tell you - even with the tremendous support and understanding of virtually all my classmates, the entire USMMA chain of command and WITHOUT media circus, interest and any absolutely stupid, insensitive statements by professors who can only be classified, at least in this case, as having acted like an ass - even with/without all that - it took me until at least 3 years after her death - 1 year following successful graduation for me to be able to take the time and sort out the loss and what it meant to me personally.

It took that long simply because returning to the exact environment that is being properly captured here as a generally nurturing, safe environ, you are indeed also clearly separated and away from the rest of your family and the stress and emotions you go through because of that cannot, at least in my personal experience be compared in any way, shape or form be related to happy but stressful moments in our lives when the joy can be accompanied by stress all be it our wedding day or the birth of child, etc.

My heart goes out to the family and the midshipman involved. I hope and pray his classmates and the KP community put twice the cocoon around him they put around me back in 1980 - these times with media, social media and the internet while full of wonderful technology, make this situation worse and harder from what I can see. I also know how horrible just recalling those days make me feel now even 32 years later when I reflect on them thinking about what I am typing here... It's an indescribable pit in my stomach and it's causing me to hesitate hitting submit here - not because of me but because I just think the young man and his classmates probably don't need ANYONE stirring up this pot or hornets nest.

That said call it courage or not - I wouldn't have given a "darn" about what anyone outside of my cocoon felt and I still clearly feel scorn for any who feel the need to comment on this other than perhaps whether they think the statement by the prof involved was simply callous and ill considered, slightly stupid or just outright total lunacy. I have no doubt as a tenured professor and federal civil servant due process will be given him. Also whatever happens, he will have learned from this (hopefully) and if need be his life will go on well elsewhere in academia, not really something I'm personally concern myself with. He's probably a decent guy and he made a mistake and his life will go on one way or another.

I do know from personal experience though for the midshipman you are talking about, rather cavalierly in my personal opinion, and his family they are only at the beginning of a journey in coming to terms with the grief involved with a horrible, un-anticipatable, and tragic loss. They need our support, our non-judgemental, unqualified understanding and support and in my opinion are deserving of it. That goes not just for the midshipman involved but all the families of these victims.

Sorry for the ramble, the preachiness and the poor grammar (run-on sentences, etc.). This is just a topic I'll never be able to be detached or unemotional about. All that said, and probably more than I should have, all the victim's families, especially the midshipman and his families have my sympathy and support and I will not comment or preach further on this.

In closing, I'd suggest we in the USMMA family provide that unqualified and non-judgemental support going forward privately out of respect for the situation, move on to other things in public forums such as this.

[LineInTheSand]

I likely chose the wrong forum to have the discussion that eventually developed.

I could easily use the "heroes" article in the Tennessean which described students passing standardized tests as "heroic".

That said, I am not judging the grief, pain, agony or anything else the student is going through. My initial comment had more to do with the press description.

Of course, since that comment, it has devolved into my justify the use of certain words, or disagree with the use of certain words to describe a situation fresh in people's minds. That, in my mind, has nothing to do with the student or his loss, at least I hadn't intended for it to.

I can save the debate for how the profit driven media uses terms like "courage" "hero" or "valor" for another day.

[paradigm6]

please stop

[Kram1]

Was the comment out of line? Indeed it was given the circumstances. Was it meant to intentionally harm? I seriously doubt that it was. Should the professor in question apologize for this to the the Midshipman? Absolutely.

Should the professor be fired...ABSOLUTELY NOT! Ridiculous to even think that way. I am as saddened by Kings Point's response as much as I am by the initial comment knowing now the harm it created for one specific Midshipman. We can all hope and pray that this Midshipman finds peace after such a tragic and painful loss.

Seems to me to be just another over reaction...such that we see way too often these days. It is not out of the realm of possibility that this professor had absolutely no clue that anyone in any way related to the tragedy was within ear shot let alone in his classroom. That is a reasonable assumption...the idea that he "should have known" is absurd on the face if it in my opinion...note I said my opinion.....Amazing how fast folks like to call for people to be fired over such things as this.....I hope none of the folks supporting this action against this professor have never said something they later regretted...and, hopefully, no one went way over the line and called for their firing. Ridiculous on the face of it...I can guarantee you that if i were this professor and was actually fired over this...well, lawsuits would be flying.

My heart and prayers go out to this Midshipman who found the ability to return to Kings Point. Anyone who has lost a parent...especially in an unexpected event...such as I have...knows exactly how this feels. It hurts, it's hard. But absolutely no reason to compound the tragedy by firing this professor...a heat5felt personal apology both in private and perhaps to the class as a whole be in order...in my opinion.

[LineInTheSand]

There have got to be some midshipmen on SAF who know the professor and can say how he is and what the feeling is at KP.

[paradigm6]

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Abraham Lincoln

[LineInTheSand]

Originally Posted by paradigm6

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Abraham Lincoln

Paradigm has two posts, both here and today.

Thinking of adding to the discussion?

[bruno]

Folks- can we please let this subject drop? we are talking about real people in a very tragic situation- and I don't believe that anything good will come out of this discussion. The USMMA will not be influenced in how it handles things one way or the other by continuing to discuss this here, but I can well imagine that someone already victimized will be further hurt by prolonged discussion on a forum that they may well be a member of of. Please - let's drop this thread at this point and leave it to others to discuss?
Thanks for your consideration

[Lynpar]

Dear Service Academy Forum members,
Below is an exerpt from a letter written by Melisa Cowden, mother of M/N Westin Cowden. Mrs. cowden originally posted this letter on the Facebook page for the Parents and Family of KP's class of 2015. As we all know Mr. Cowden was one of the victims in the Aurora theater. I asked Mrs, Cowden's permission to post an edited version and to delete her her name and number on this forum however she responded she wanted to leave it in. The paragraphs below are her exact words ( first paragraph removed) and I thought she ought to be heard. She was asking for help with contact numbers to notify government and administration officials of her feelings as well as media outlets and others who had offered her future help but as she herself was out of town those numbers were not available to her. So she chose to use the Internet. This is the message she wants out there.


-
Hello,

We are sad to see the public humiliation and reprimanding the Professor at the USMMA is receiving for his distasteful joke.

There has been enough pain throughout this tragedy and we do not want to see further suffering caused to this professor and his family over a single distasteful remark. If this professor is fired by the USMMA, Holmes again succeeds in harming a life. This professor has sincerely apologized, which we appreciated and accepted.

We would be grateful if our thoughts and wishes for an immediate stop to the media attention and potential loss of this professor's job would be taken into consideration.

Sincerely

Melisa Cowden
On behalf of my children

[Lynpar]

May we now close both threads? I think Mrs. Cowden deserves the last word .