Gordon Klein, an accounting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, is under police protection after he turned down a request regarding final exams in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, The Washington Free Beacon is reporting.
Klein is currently on leave after he declined a student’s request to shorten the final exam and extend deadlines for final assignments in consideration of black students’ well-being in light of the protests against police violence, the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, reported.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that a Malibu Police Department spokesman said the department has stepped up its presence near the educator’s home after Klein received multiple threats.
The Beacon said that on Monday, Anderson School of Management dean Antonio Bernardo sent an email to students announcing an investigation into the incident.
An email obtained by the Beacon shows that Judson Caskey, an associate professor of accounting and the Anderson school's diversity committee chairman, had urged professors to avoid changing final exam plans.
"If students ask for accommodations such as assignment delays or exam cancellations, I strongly encourage you to follow the normal procedures (accommodations from the [Center for Accessible Education] office, death/illness in the family, religious observance, etc.)," Caskey wrote in a June 1 email.
Klein’s response to the request for special arrangements came in an email and touched off the controversy. According to the Daily Bruin, he wrote: “Remember that MLK (Martin Luther King) famously said that people should not be evaluated based on the ‘color of their skin.’ Do you think that your request would run afoul of MLK’s admonition?”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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