Allegations of threats and discrimination – that have characterized a controversy surrounding a Nov.8 lecture on Islam – will be part of a Tarrant County College investigation that is expected to include interviews of students in the class.
Professor Paul Derengowski’s Great Religions of the World class on TCC’s Southeast Campus grabbed headlines after a Nov. 8 lecture on Islam ended with two Muslim students questioning his source material. Other students in the class have reported feeling threatened by the events that unfolded. One of the Muslim students, Randa Bedair, apparently sent an email to students stating she felt Derengowski’s teachings were bias.
The controversy resulted in Derengowski’s Nov. 15 resignation.
Now, TCC is under community scrutiny to find out exactly what happened.
“It’s regrettable and we are doing the best we can to gather all the facts,” said Bill Greenhill, president of TCC’s Board of Trustees.
Greenhill said the administration is looking at various issues that have surfaced, including what type of threats or disturbance took place in the class, was there any discrimination involved, and was the professor’s syllabus appropriate for the class.
Greenhill said the investigation will include questioning all the students about the Nov. 8 incident – a process that will take place when finals are out of the way.
“We are not going to pounce on anybody’s rights,” Greenhill said. “We have to figure out what the facts are.”
I'm glad TCC is conducting an investigation albeit a little late. I don't know what the professor stated in his class, but a suspension with pay - rather than a resignation - would have been more appropriate until all the facts are in.
Posted by: Julia504 | December 22, 2011 at 12:58 PM
Well the verdict is in and in favor of the muslim students who were apparently offended by some negative information about their prophet. Gee, I thought that Professors were supposed to be concerned about truth rather than student feelings. I hope the Professor didn't cover the information about the 30 years war in Europe where Protestants and Catholics killed each other in the name of Christ for an extended period of time. Some Christians might be offended. Mohammed may have started out as a mystic, but he wound up as a mobster military leader. Even a cursury internet search will turn up ample evidence from muslim sources about his atrocities against the Jews living on the Arabian peninsula. Does not the Quran call for true believers to slay the infidels wherever they are found? Including the World Trade Center?
Posted by: James Anderson | January 24, 2012 at 09:24 AM