MUNCIE — Last week, a confrontation between a professor and a student had others at Ball State University taking action.
The professor called university police after the student of color refused a request to change seats. Other students have said there had been several prior complaints about the same professor.
On Tuesday, dozens of students walked out of their classes at Ball State to stand in solidarity with Sultan Benson, the student in the midst of the confrontation.
Ball State's president was among those attending the walkout, he has previously said the school's dean met with the professor, and that he will be monitored moving forward.
.@BallState students and faculty are demanding change and have gathered for a walk out after video of a professor who called police on a student who wouldn’t move seats in class went viral. @rtv6 pic.twitter.com/eV9yodUUp3
— Andrew Smith (@AndrewSmithNews) January 28, 2020
But Benson says that's not enough.
"You're gonna call the police while I'm paying attention to what you're up here teaching? You gonna call the police out here arresting these student trying to learn? Not only was I put at risk —because we all know how situations with the police go with young African American men, correct? Not only was I at risk, the rest of my class was at risk."
Student groups are demanding that the tenured professor retire and go through sensitivity training. They also want more conflict training for all faculty members, and they are also calling for a new student-led committee to advocate for issues important to the student body.
