Prof(anity): Cursing in the classroom

The debate over free speech on colleges campuses has, in large part, come and gone.

Students speak freely at Princeton, and faculty who use obscenities in class are not questioned. Attitudes are accepting of the diversity of speech and, as outlined in the "Rights, Rules, Responsibilities" booklet given to all members of the University community, University policy protects freedom of speech.

But policy at Harrisburg Area Community College in Lancaster, Pa. is not so relaxed. History teacher Stephen E. Williams was dismissed unexpectedly earlier this semester. Though untenured, he was popular and on a tenure-track.

At first, there seemed to be no reason why the professor would have been asked to leave, but soon students from his classes started getting calls from administrators asking if they had heard Williams using profanity in class. Students quickly came to the conclusion that Williams must have been fired for using the "F-word" in class.

According to former student Donald Dodson Jr., Williams took a "blue collar approach" to teaching — an approach that consisted of "a conversational teaching style." Dodson, a 37-year-old who just came back from combat in Iraq, and other former students have come out in defense of Williams, asking that he be reinstated.

Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin could not recall any similar incidents at Princeton, but several students interviewed said they had heard professors use profanity in class. Unlike the community college student who initially complained about Williams' foul language, many Princeton students said that the particular swear words they have encountered in University classrooms did not offend them.

Stefan McDaniel '08 said that when professors use profanity, it "usually happens in the heat of the moment — kind of conversational. You notice it, but it's not particularly offensive." Other students said they had not heard a professor swear in class, but added that it would not likely offend them if they were to come across it.

But if another student were offended by a professor's foul language and complained to him or her about it, many of the same students felt it would be the professor's responsibility to discontinue using the offensive language in question.

"The professor should take it into account," Caroline Loevner '08 said. "The professor should do their best to make the setting comfortable for everyone."

History professor Anthony Grafton said that he would stop using foul language in class if a student complained about it. "I don't believe in regulating speech in the classroom, but I don't think a professor should use genuinely bad language — it's neither professional nor attractive, any more than it would be for a doctor or a lawyer to do so in a professional setting," Grafton said in an email.

As for how Williams' case would be handled at Princeton, Dobkin said that he did not know of any specific University policy that would govern such cases, but that administrators would first consider the "Respect for Others" clause in the "Rights, Rules, Responsibilities" booklet.

The clause states that "abusive or harassing behavior, verbal or physical, which demeans, intimidates, threatens, or injures another because of his or her personal characteristics or beliefs is subject to University disciplinary sanctions."

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Hilary Herbold, associate dean of undergraduate students, said the University does not "discipline people for using profanity as such. We do discipline students for using abusive, demeaning, threatening or harassing language toward individuals."

McDaniel said that most disputes of this type can probably be resolved between the professor and student. "[The professor] should perhaps ask permission [before swearing]," he said. "There would be an awkward 10 seconds in there, but it behooves the professor to not swear if a student complains."

When asked for her general feelings about swearing in the classroom, Loevner said, that "it depends on the class and the curse." She added, "Some are insulting to people. Racial slurs are never appropriate, for example. It really depends."