This thread started with the subject of the firing of the adjunct professor at Emmanuel College. Joe Offer called for more information, since there was more heat than light in the posted comments. It seemed to me that there must be more to the story, so I went to the Boston Globe, since it is a fairly good paper, and part of the NY Times group.

According to the statement by a College spokesman, Mr. Winset disparaged "the victims as rich white kids combined with an obscene epithet. He did not do this as part of an open debate with his students."
Winset "told the Globe that professors were asked to discuss the shootings with their classes and the dramatization led to a discussion of the massacre's effects on the stock market." He also said "The last weapon in the empty arsenal of the politically correct is to call someone a bigot and that's pretty much what they are doing here."
Tony Wall, chairman of the faculty senate, said in the College statement that "Emmanuel has a broad sense of academic freedom and encourages discussion of controversial issues, "as long as the discussion is carried out in a fair and civil manner." "This was decidly not the case in Mr. Winset's class. Wall said.
"Creating fear and anger in his students with outrageous and disrespectful behavior and language is clearly about power," Wall said in the statement. "In no workplace would such behavior be tolerated."

It is difficult to judge without a tape of the happening, but it seems to me that Mr. Winset went a step too far. One may wonder if other actions by Mr. Winset at the College also may have contributed to his dismissal.

Emmanuel College students are upset over the death of a popular student, who died after his arrest by Boston police following an argument at a sports event. Nothing to do with the Winset firing, but concern about reaction to this event could have affected the thoughts and actions of the Emmanuel faculty senate.