Students at Marymount Manhattan are demanding that veteran Professor Patricia Simon be fired after allegedly falling asleep during an “anti-racist” Zoom meeting on June 29.
Caitlin Gagnon, a student at Marymount Manhattan, started a petition that has collected almost 2,000 signatures calling for the removal of the Theater Arts professor who students say fell asleep during a Zoom discussion on the adoption of an “anti-racist framework.”
“This is a petition that is demanding the removal [of] a faculty member who does not align with the anti-racist views and actions that were promised to be adopted by the department earlier this week,” the petition read.
“Professor Simon has a history of ignoring instances of racism in the form of racial profiling within the [Musical Theater] program, and enabling the racist and sizeist actions and words of the vocal coaches under her jurisdiction,” the petition claimed, “She has also been known to use her power to intimidate and bully the students in her program who have made efforts to advocate for themselves or for their fellow peers.”
Simon says she didn’t fall asleep, contrary to student claims.
“I was not asleep as is implied at any point during the meeting,” she told Campus Reform, adding that "the photo used was taken without permission when I was looking down or briefly resting my Zoom-weary eyes.”
“I listened with my ears and heart the entire meeting,” Simon concluded.