Student suspended for journal entry

Student suspended for journal entry


Photographer: KNXV
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Posted: 02/16/2012

A college student in Michigan says a sexually suggestive journal entry got him kicked out of class and suspended from Oakland University.

Here's the deal: 56-year-old Joseph Corlett described his professor as "tall, blond, stacked, smart and articulate."

He says he was inspired by the 1984 Van Halen hit "Hot For Teacher."

Well, his English professor was not flattered.

She complained to the university.

And, after a campus hearing, the university found Corlett guilty of intimidation.

The punishment: suspension for three semesters.

During that time, he's banned from stepping foot on campus and must seek psychological counseling before he can re-enroll.

Corlett says this is a clear cut violation of his first amendment rights.

He now has a lawyer and says if the disciplinary actions aren't dropped he will file a lawsuit against the university.

What's your take on this?

Do students have a right to pen whatever they want in their journal entries even if it offends the professor?

Or, do you side with the university and say Corlett's words were intimidating?

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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