A Ferris State University professor is suing the institution after he was suspended for a now-viral video for a course in which he refers to his students as “vectors of disease.”
The Michigan university placed Barry Mehler, a tenured history professor, on administrative leave this month and said it had started an investigation into the video, which the institution’s president, David L. Eisler, said had left him “shocked and appalled.”
Mehler’s lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, states that the video was part of “The Show,” an intentionally provocative performance Mehler has created for his classes that includes “strong themes, colorful language, and modern cultural references, to capture students’ attention and challenge them to think critically.”
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