NEW HAVEN — Southern Connecticut State University officials have suspended a white adjunct faculty member for allegedly using a racial slur in class.
Public Health instructor Eric Triffin tells the New Haven Register he was suspended with pay for using the word while singing along to a rap song Tuesday. Triffin says he regularly starts classes with dancing and music.
A black student confronted Triffin on his use of the word during class, and video of his reaction has circulated online. The student has declined to comment.
The university’s Black Student Union president Eric Clinton says students aren’t interested in Triffin losing his job, but they do want an apology.
A spokesman for the university declined to comment on Triffin’s suspension, saying it is a personnel matter.