Racial slur quoted in class sparks debate at Rutgers Law School, report says

A controversy has erupted at Rutgers Law School in Newark after a white student used a racial slur while quoting from a 1993 legal opinion during a professor’s online office hours, the New York Times reported.

The unnamed first-year law student used the slur during Professor Vera Bergelson’s criminal law class’ virtual office hours in October, while citing from a court opinion, according to the report. Three students were also signed on to the videoconference session.

A group of Black fellow first-year law students launched a petition in response calling for a school policy on racial slurs and asking for apologies from the student and professor, the Times reported.

“At the height of a ‘racial reckoning,’ a responsible adult should know not to use a racial slur regardless of its use in a 1993 opinion,” the petition stated, according to the newspaper’s report. “We vehemently condemn the use of the N-word by the student and the acquiescence of its usage.”

For her part, Bergelson told the Times she did not hear the slur.

“I wish I could go back in time to that office hour and confront it directly,” she told the newspaper.

Bergelson also said she only learned of the concerns from the petition in April. The professor and the student apologized, according to the report.

The debate over the incident has continued at the school. Faculty reportedly discussed imposing a voluntary ban on using racial slurs in classes, even when quoting directly from legal documents. Meanwhile, some faculty signed a statement in support of the student and professor.

Rutgers Law School Co-Deans David Lopez and Kimberly Mutcherson issued a statement in response to the controversy.

“As the co-deans of Rutgers Law School, we recognize the hurt that our students experienced following this incident, and we know that none of the involved parties acted with any ill intent. We are committed to doing better for our community moving forward,” Lopez and Mutcherson said. “This experience raised critical issues about law school pedagogy and provided us with a welcome opportunity to talk as a community of faculty, students, staff, and administration committed to antiracism about productive ways to teach about race in our classrooms.

“Those discussions are not about stifling academic freedom, ignoring the First Amendment, or banning words, and we are not seeking to alter any of the existing University policies that already protect academic freedom and free speech in the classroom,” the deans added.

“Instead, we are discussing how best to create classroom environments in which all of our students feel seen, heard, valued, and respected,” according to the statement. “We are confident that our faculty share that common goal as we work together to train the next generation of leaders for our state and our country.”

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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.

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