Duke Administrator’s Complaint About Music Apparently Got 2 Campus Baristas Fired

Larry Moneta’s usual visit to the Joe Van Gogh coffee shop on Duke University’s campus last week went sour when he heard a rap song that two baristas were playing, reports Indy Week.

Moneta, vice president for student affairs at Duke, complained to the executive director of dining services, Robert Coffey, after he heard the song “Get Paid,” by Young Dolph, playing on the shop’s speakers.

The music was “playing quite loudly,” Moneta told The Chronicle, and he found some explicit lyrics “inappropriate for a working environment that serves children, among others.”

“I expressed my objections to the staff with whom I’ve always had a cordial relationship,” Moneta wrote in a statement. “I insisted on paying for my purchase and left the store. I then contacted the director of Duke Dining to express my concerns, and that was the end of my involvement.”

Two baristas were fired, according to Indy Week. One of them, Britni Brown, told the newspaper that when Moneta had raised concerns about the music, she turned it off, apologized, and offered him a free muffin. He rejected the offer and paid for his order.

Days later, Brown and the other barista, Kevin Simmons, were called into the shop’s office and fired.

Joe Van Gogh is operated by an independent company. Its owner, Robbie Roberts, has since written an apology to employees, customers, and the community for how the situation was handled, according to a statement from the company.

“We attempted to understand Duke’s position in this case, but we should have taken a different approach in making personnel decisions,” he wrote. “As the owner of the business, I take full responsibility for Joe Van Gogh’s actions. I apologize to all of the people directly involved and those who have been touched or offended, of which there are many.

“We are taking steps to remedy this matter,” he continued, “but all company personnel issues are private and will remain private. Again, my truly sincere apologies.”

In response to the apology from the company, Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke, followed up with a statement on behalf of the university:

“We appreciate Mr. Roberts’ statement and his commitment to remedy the matter with the individuals involved, and regret the pain this incident caused to those who look to Duke to uphold the highest values of fairness and equity to all members of our community.”

Moneta recently posted on Twitter that colleges should not prohibit hate speech, a statement that attracted some controversy online. “Freedom of expression protects the oppressed far more than the oppressors,” he wrote.

Moneta said in his statement that the firings did not conflict with his views on free speech.

“The artist who wrote, recorded, and performed the music is absolutely entitled to do so, however offensive I might find the lyrics,” he wrote. “The employees who chose to play the song in a business establishment on the Duke campus made a poor decision which was conveyed to the JVG management. How they responded to the employees’ behavior was solely at their discretion.”

(05/09/2018, 2:40 p.m.): This article has been updated with statements from the coffee-shop company and the university.