A Ball State University professor will not be teaching for the rest of the semester, following an incident where he called the cops on a Black student who declined to change seats, CNN reports.
Shaheen Borna, the professor in question, has been a part of the school’s faculty since 1983.
“The decision was made to ensure continuity in the curriculum, eliminate any unnecessary distractions, and help our students complete the appropriate course expectations,” Kathy Wolf, the university’s vice president of marketing and communications, told CNN.
The incident occurred in January, during Borna’s Marketing 310 class.
Sultan Benson, the student, had arrived to class only to find his usual seat occupied. Borna told him to use an empty seat toward the back, which Benson told CNN he readily agreed to do.
Things went south about half an hour into class however, when another student left. Borna asked Benson to move closer, however, already settled in, Benson asked why he had to move.
“Either move your seat or I call the police,” Borna said, Benson claimed.
Two campus police officers ended up showing up, and Benson left the classroom to speak with them in the hallway.
Though Borna ended up apologizing to the class, and Benson, via email, the damage was done. Benson switched classes, no longer comfortable attending Borna’s.
“I’m automatically going to be scared and on guard,” he told CNN last month. “That shows me that you don’t care about my life.”