The ‘Jesus Stomping’ exercise, along with the career of the professor who was at the helm of the dramatic and controversial teaching lesson, has been officially resurrected at Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Deandre Poole, the FAU professor and Palm Beach Democratic Party vice chair responsible for the controversial lesson, was put on paid administrative leave in March after his own safety was compromised. Poole brought a hailstorm of fury on himself when he asked his students to participate in a religiously offensive assignment in which they wrote ‘Jesus’ on a piece of paper and then stomped on it as part of a communications class exercise.
He will only be teaching online courses this summer and fall, however, according to local NBC affiliate WPTV.
Even if Poole’s not leading the ‘Jesus Stomping’ lecture on-site at the Davie, Fla. campus anymore, other professors are free to use the lesson, and may do so just for the sake of it.
“People will think twice about using that particular exercise in that setting, although there have been faculty who say they want to use it just to make a point,” professor Tim Lenz told WPTV.
The fury behind Poole’s lesson unleashed so much controversy that even Gov. Rick Scott got involved. The Florida Republican asked the university for a report on the incident, issued a statement condemning it and commended the student who was suspended for not participating in it for “having the courage to stand up for his faith.”
The controversy also contributed to then-president of the university, Mary Jane Saunders, stepping down from her post. Since then, the school has also hired a consultant to conduct an “external threat assessment” to oversee Poole’s future and his $43,000 contract and announced that it will be hosting a training seminar to better prepare faculty members in the event of future controversies.
“I thought it was a sensitive statement that reflected the university’s responsibility to provide a safe environment and one where students will feel free to comment in class,” FAU Provost Dr. Diane Alperin told WPTV.
