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Duquesne University Fires Professor Who Used N-Word 3 Times During Online Class

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Duquesne University has fired a professor after a video posted to social media showed him using a racial slur during an online class.

Professor Gary Shank was previously placed on paid leave last month after he was heard using the N-word three times and telling students they had permission to use it. Shank said he was only doing so "to demonstrate a point."

"To be clear, I believe that there is never a time, pedagogically or otherwise, for a professor to create a hostile learning environment. I know this from my experience as a student, a professor, and now as Interim Dean of the School of Education. Using the 'N word' or seemingly encouraging students to use that word is not in keeping with the mission of the University, the School of Education, or the Pennsylvania Department of Education," School of Education Dean Gretchen Generett said in a letter to students following the incident.

On Wednesday, Shank's attorney confirmed the firing and said he plans to file a grievance against the university.

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