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Tennessee State University says it terminated an instructor seen screaming in a student’s face in a video circulated on social media. In the video, Robert Evins Pickard, the former instructor of history, leans on the recoiling student’s desk and shouts, “What is your name? Out! Get out! You have failed this course, whatever your name is.”
Tennessee State said in a statement that the “incident runs afoul of the standard of behavior we expect from those charged with teaching and serving as role models for our students. The university has taken swift action, including personnel action, to address this incident and the faculty member shown in the video was immediately removed from the classroom and has been terminated.”
Evins Pickard reportedly told WSMV4 that he in fact offered the university his resignation and is now retired. “I deeply regret what happened in class. I lost my temper and did something I should never have done,” he also said. “I have been under pressure lately, and I have been frustrated with students who pay attention to their cellphones and laptops, then wonder why they get low grades. But that does not excuse my behavior. I apologized to the students and offered my resignation. I am now retired, as I had planned anyway. Please respect my privacy. It is over now.”
