SCSU adjunct faculty member suspended after a racial slur in rap lyrics in class

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NEW HAVEN — A white Southern Connecticut State University adjunct faculty member has been suspended after he allegedly used a racial slur in class on Tuesday.

Adjunct public health instructor Eric Triffin said Wednesday he has been suspended with pay by the university while the school investigates an incident involving the use of a racial slur.

The incident was first reported by the university’s campus newspaper, Southern News.

SCSU spokesman Patrick Dilger said in an email Wednesday that the incident is under investigation, but because its involves a personnel matter, the university would not comment further. Dilger did not immediately confirm Triffin’s suspension. Triffin said he will be suspended during the duration of the investigation.

Triffin said in a phone interview with the Register that he used a variation of the n-word when singing along to a rap song played by a student in the class on Tuesday. The song was played as part of an ongoing custom: Triffin often starts his classes with an activity such as dancing or listening to music.

“It was a rap song and I danced to it, and one of the lyrics was, ‘I’m a happy n----,’ so I sang along and said, ‘I’m a happy n----,” Triffin said during a phone interview Wednesday.

His comments drew a response from one student, who Triffin said was, “screaming at me.” The student is black.

“He felt anger and we tried to address it in the class. I think everyone in the class was relatively OK with my response. … He wasn’t,” Triffin said. He added: “I think I was relatively even-handed with the students and understood the anger he felt. I don’t think everybody else in the class was agreeing with him.”

Black Student Union president and SCSU senior Eric Clinton said Wednesday Triffin’s remarks were not part of the lyrics, though Clinton did not know the name of the song that was played. Clinton said he spoke with the student who responded to Triffin’s remarks in class; the student declined to comment on Wednesday.

A video of the student’s reaction shortly after Triffin’s remarks has been circulating on Facebook; the video doesn’t include Triffin’s comments. Clinton said Triffin should have discussed the incident in a different manner rather attempting to justify why the word was used. In the video, the student can be seen standing from his desk and raising his voice toward Triffin.

“My initial reaction was ‘no way,’” Clinton said. “It’s unacceptable. How on earth can an institution that is so privy to social justice allow this to go on without repercussions?”

After learning about the incident from the video, Clinton released a statement online. Clinton said the incident is serving as a call for change on campus, with BSU compiling a list of changes Clinton said they hope will ensure an incident doesn’t happen again. They include increasing the number of resident life employees to be 40 percent minority students and adding more black administrators.

Clinton said students want Triffin to apologize. Clinton said they’re not necessarily interested in Triffin’s termination.

“I feel like as a professor, he should always know better,” NAACP chapter President Darryl Hall Jr., a junior at SCSU, said. “I don’t know how old he is, but I know he’s a senior (citizen) close to our grandparents’ age.... You should just know better because you have to account for everyone’s feelings.”

In a message sent to students Tuesday, University President Joe Bertolino confirmed university officials were aware of the incident. The news prompted an open conversation with students Tuesday evening at the Adanti Student Center Ballroom. Clinton said he attended the meeting.

“I want you to know that I am investigating the matter fully and will take appropriate action as a result of the findings,” Bertolino said in the message. “As a public institution dedicated to the values of social justice, our university abhors the use of racist or hateful words and actions and we will confront these incidents if and when they occur.”

Bertolino said the he wants students to join in him in “promoting a campus environment based on acceptance and understanding.”

Triffin, a SCSU alumnus, said this is the first complaint he’s had after teaching at the university for more than 30 years. He said that as the father of a half-black, biracial child, he has witnessed first-hand how people can feel discriminated against. He said he has never used the n-word before and has lived in Africa and other areas where he said he was a racial minority.

“I never used that word, but I just did sing along with the music. That’s all I did,” Triffin said. “It was supposed to be a fun moment.”

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901.