Three professors placed on leave over student petition against 'casual racism' in a 2014 Halloween photo

Three professors at the University of South Alabama were placed on leave after students began a petition to have them fired over "casual racism" displayed in a photograph from Halloween in 2014.

University of South Alabama president Tony Waldrop said on Friday that there would be an independent investigation into the photograph that has since been deleted from the university's Facebook page.

The petition posted the photograph that showed one professor dressed up as a confederate soldier while two others played with a noose.

"In 2014, professors Bob Wood (then Dean of the Mitchell College of Business) Alex Sharland, and Teresa Weldy were photographed at an on-campus party wearing and holding blatantly racist symbols of hatred and violence towards the African-American community. These photographs were then posted on the college's Facebook for the public to see without any sign of remorse or recognition of wrong-doing," read the petition.

"Though South says that these photographs were brought to their attention, action was taken, and the original photographs were removed in 2020, t... (Read more)

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