USMMA Professor Faces Firing for Joke Tied to Shootings

[LineInTheSand]

Certainly wasn't "na na na notorious".

[Zaphod]

If only we could fire politicians for saying equally stupid things....

[LineInTheSand]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

If only we could fire politicians for saying equally stupid things....

WHOA, look who it is!

[bruno]

I want to apologize for posting this. As I said on the same subject on a different forum: 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

[LineInTheSand]

We're talking about a professor removed from a school.

We're not talking about a mass shooting in CO.

We've talked about much higher profiled public servants being removed (or retained). This is no different. The questions are about the actions of USMMA.

We've long established these discussions are not only appropriate, but warranted.

[Pima]

LITS, I don't know if you and Bruno x-posted, but if not, I for one support his advice of dropping it.

This site is hitting home for many posters and they need time to heal. We should give that respect to the students who endured this painful situation.

Firing, suspending,or whatever the outcome will be, there is a student mourning their father, they don't need this additional burden.

All we need to do right now is gather around and support that student. Let him know on a site he may not even be a member on that our thoughts, prayers and wishes are with him always.

[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 from further comments? Mrs. Cowden deserves the last word.

[LineInTheSand]

Well said. I agree.

[Pima]

+1

However, I would like to say what an amazing person Mrs. Cowden must be to take this time while she is grieving and think of others that are now being impacted.