An English professor who was employed by Pennsylvania State University said he was forced to teach that the "English language is racist and embodies white supremacy," the Daily Mail has reported.
Zack De Piero, who was an assistant professor of English and Composition at Penn State-Abington from 2018 to 2022, made the claims as part of a lawsuit filed earlier this month against the college, alleging that the administration had racially discriminated against him and other white staff members.
He said he was also forced to grade Hispanic and Black students on an easier scale and was subject to exercises that focused on critical race theory, where white staff were made to feel "terrible."
De Piero said that after informing the university of his feelings of discrimination, officials punished him by issuing a bullying and harassment complaint against him, and gave him lower scores on his annual performance review, according to the Daily Mail.
The lawsuit also alleged that "When he complained about the continuous stream of racial insult directed at White faculty in the writing department, the director of the Affirmative Action Office told him that 'There is a problem with the White Race.'''
The director also said De Piero should attend "antiracist workshops until [he] gets it, and that he might have mental health issues," with the lawsuit alleging that at some of the workshops, there was a presentation captioned "White Teachers are a problem."
When asked for comment about the lawsuit, Penn State Assistant Vice President for Media and Executive Communications for the University told the Daily Mail that "Penn State does not generally comment on pending litigation."
The university gave a longer response to centredaily.com, stating that Penn State "has repeatedly affirmed its active and ongoing commitment to diversity and equity, and made clear its desire to create an inclusive and respectful environment in which to live, work and study."
De Piero, who left Penn State due to the hostile environment last August, currently works as an assistant professor of English at Northampton Community College.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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