By Associated Press
Louisville, KY – A Murray State University professor is teaching again after a scandal erupted when he chastised two black students for tardiness by referring to slavery. But this time he has no face-to-face contact with students.
Political science professor Mark Wattier has been rehired to teach a handful of online courses offered by Murray State. He had retired earlier this year during a campus review of his comments.
The longtime professor is teaching one online course this semester - POL 140 American National Government, university spokeswoman Catherine Sivills said Friday. Thirty-five students are enrolled in the class.
Wattier is a part-time employee who will teach four online courses under his one-year contract with the school in Kentucky's southwest corner, she said. He does not have an office on campus.
Sivills said it's common for retired faculty or administrators to teach part time at the school. Wattier's career had spanned 30 years at the school, including time as the president of the Faculty Senate.
Murray State President Randy Dunn approved his rehiring, Sivills said.
"We have hired him back on a one-year post-retirement contract to teach online courses for us in his field of expertise," Dunn said in an e-mailed statement.
The university declined further comment. Wattier's rehiring was first reported by The Murray State News, the campus newspaper.
Wattier did not immediately reply to an e-mail Friday seeking comment.
Arlene Johnson, the student who filed a complaint against Wattier, declined to comment Friday.
Wattier retired in March while on an unpaid suspension stemming from the claims that he made the racial comments to two black students last year. Both Wattier and Johnson agreed that the professor made a reference to slavery while admonishing Johnson and another black student to be on time to class. His comments came after a class early in the fall semester of 2010.
Wattier had contested his suspension and the campus president appointed a panel to review the appeal. During the review, Wattier made an apology to the student, who accepted it, Sivills said. At that point, the review panel didn't see the need to issue an opinion in the matter, she said.
In recounting the incident in February, Wattier acknowledged to the AP in an e-mail that he had made a mistake.
"I did say, `Do you know why you were late? There's a theory that a way to protest their master's treatment was for slaves to be late.' My comment was inappropriate. I regret having said this out of context and bluntly."
Murray State's enrollment last year was 10,400, with black students making up 7 percent of the student body.