Classroom Exercise Using "Jesus" To Illustrate Cultural Symbols Leads To Threats Against Instructor and University

According to the Palm Beach Post, last week Florida Atlantic University placed a non-tenured Communications instructor on paid administrative leave for his own safety and to prevent further disruptions to the University's operations, after he and the Communication and Multimedia Studies Department received numerous threats over a textbook exercise that the instructor used in a Feb. 25 class. The instructor, Deandre Poole, who is also vice chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, was teaching a course in intercultural communications using a standard textbook, "Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach."  He took an exercise from the instructor's manual that accompanies the book. As described by the Palm Beach Post:

The manual, which warns that the exercise is “a bit sensitive,” says the teacher should have students write “Jesus” on a piece of paper, then put the paper on the floor and “think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence, instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

One student, Ryan Rotela, objected to the exercise, and after class shouted at Poole and threatened to go to the media.  Poole filed an incident report with campus security and the student was ordered not to attend class further until the issue was resolved.  Rotela then went to a local television station with the story, which quickly gained national attention. Poole, the University and the county Democratic Party have received threatening calls and hate mail, some of them racist. Subsequently disciplinary charges against the student were dropped and the University announced the exercise would not be used again. Nevertheless, a local pastor plans to lead a "Take A Stand For Jesus" march to the University.

Poole, who does not want his teaching career defined by this incident, describes himself as a very religious Christian.