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Loyola University says alleged discrimination against police officer was ‘a misunderstanding’
From WWL TV: Loyola University says that a Facebook post claiming a student, who is also a police officer, was discriminated against isn’t the full story. According to the university, the story posted by Josh Collins claiming that his classmates and professor discriminated against him because he was in his police uniform during class is “a misunderstanding.”
Collins, a law enforcement officer and Loyola student, took to social media Wednesday night to air his grievances with the university after he was allegedly discriminated against during a class.
“You know, as a white male conservative, I have put up with a lot of prejudicial and biased comments directed towards me while attending Loyola University New Orleans,” Collins wrote. “I usually think the comments are funny … But today made me sad for the youth and the college I have attended for 8 years.”
Collins was running late to class that night after finishing a shift with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and did not have time to change out of his uniform, according to his post.
“Obviously, being in full police uniform, I was armed. This is the first time after having six previous classes that anyone became aware of my profession. Shortly after my arrival, a fellow classmate complained to the professor of their uncomfortableness of having an armed police officer in the class,” he wrote.
Collins said the professor then called the police “behind (his) back” and pulled Collins out of class to tell him about the call. “The police obviously never came and told him over the phone that I was perfectly within the law,” Collins wrote.
Collins then wrote that the student who reported his gun to the professor is an “over sensitive indoctrinated liberal flower petal” that is “scared of going to school with a uniformed police officer.”
“Loyola University, a Jesuit Institution, prides itself on its commitment to social justice. However, in creating an environment where everyone is accepted for who they are, you have now created an environment where I have been ostracized,” Collins wrote. “As a police officer, I feel as though I must hide my profession in order to obtain a fair education.”
Loyola University representatives say Collins’ post isn’t the whole story and that this whole situation is “one big misunderstanding.”
According to university representatives, Collins’ was wearing standard SWAT fatigues, not a typical blue and black police uniform, and the student didn’t know he was a police officer.
“A student in the class saw another student with a firearm, and during a class break said something to the teacher,” an official statement from Loyola said. “The teacher contacted campus security to determine university policy. Campus security directed the teacher to confirm that the student with the firearm works in law enforcement. The teacher confirmed that the student worked in law enforcement and the class resumed at the end of the break.”
According to Laura Kurzu, Loyola’s VP for Marketing and Communications, all of this occurred during a 15 minute break in the class and was handled privately.
Loyola has since reached out to Collins to apologize for the misunderstanding after seeing how upset he was, according to Kurzu. “We are grateful for all our students and their contributions to our programs and want everyone on our campus to feel safe, comfortable, and included,” Kurzu said. She added that by contacting campus police, the professor was following university policy.
In light of recent campus shootings across the country, Loyola has encouraged its community to follow a “If you see something, say something” policy when it comes to safety on campus.
“Loyola University New Orleans unequivocally supports police officers and the courageous women and men of our nation’s armed forces,” a statement from the university read. “These men and women protect us all, and they protect our Constitutional rights. We are without question grateful for their service.”
h/t Campus Reform
DCG
Source: https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2016/12/11/loyola-university-says-alleged-discrimination-against-police-officer-was-a-misunderstanding/
