A former Department Chair at Medgar Evers College says that she was irreparably harmed by an anonymous email that was sent to the president of the college stating that she was having sex with multiple students on campus. It also said that she was impregnated by one of the students.
Dr. Zulema Blair, a 38-year old former Chair of the Public
Administration Department said that her tenure was revoked two weeks after the
December 2010 email was sent out. Her
legal filing claims that she was then fired for what she says was a slanderous
message.
"This email is slander. It's horrific, and I want
whoever sent this out to be punished," she said to the New York Post. “This is character assassination. This does
not speak to any work or any of my accomplishments at Medgar Evers College.”
Blair says that she has never had a romantic relationship
with any student.
“No. No student, not anyone ever at Medgar Evers College,”
she said. “I separate my personal life from the school.”
The papers were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. Dr. Blair is asking that Yahoo share the
sender's identity and get all information on the email account,
disgruntledsue@yahoo.com. She said that
she plans to file a lawsuit against the person who sent the email as well.
The email was sent to CUNY President William Pollard and
other administrators right after Blair was set to receive a tenure offer. The offer was then rescinded and Blair did
not receive tenure.
“The obvious conclusion according to the papers that were
filed is that the e-mail was a motivating factor not to grant her tenure,” said
Blair’s attorney, Michael Borrelli.
The email mentions a specific student that Blair allegedly
slept with, but she says that the relationship was always professional. Dr. Blair met the student at a Black Male
Initiative event in 2006, and said that he wanted to major in Public
Administration.
“He and others came to me to be their mentor. I’m close to
all my students,” said Blair.
The student's name has not been released, and he is not
speaking to the media.
“Dean Gibson, a woman
of such arrogance, and ignorance. A woman who is among the elite Medgar ’Staff
Slut’ list, which includes but is NOT limited to Nicole Berry, and Zulema
[Blair],” the e-mail says. “You can’t turn a whore into a housewife, but you
can definitely turn one into a Dean."
The email goes on to say “Inquiring minds wonder was that
BEFORE or AFTER she passed him in her class?”
6 comments:
People make up stories daily, some to make another person, they envy look bad, if the Professor was sleeping with some of her Students this was very unprofessional on her behalf and the person that sent the email, should had thought over what they were doing but to get someone fired was their motive as bad as it look, if the Professor is innocent, the person that sent the email, will never be able to wash this down.
This is so ridicules....Hope she sues the university.
How could the College just fire her based on an anonymous email. This is crazy to ruin her career based solely on an email!!! What is the world coming too...
There is surely another side to this story. Being a faculty member myself, I would like to think that one's integrity and otherwise good reputation would warrant investigation of the claims, and render some measure of objective findings, prior to a termination decision. The action as stated seems otherwise arbitrary at best.
Remember...Universities don't usually accept unverified, un-cited works and opinions anyway! So what's the issue with this school??
I hope this is not true, however I have heard of student/professor relationships and it is to say the least......disgusting. Where is the integrity and self-respect...especially on the part of the teacher - who is the leader in the teacher-student relationship. The professor at the heart of this issue looks a little gay....so is the accuser a woman?? But the whole pregnancy thing????? I don't know. I hope its not true!!!
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