A Lawsuit Claims That a University Professor’s Rant Was Racially Motivated
A Black academic advisor at Rowan University has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a chemistry professor’s racist and gender-based rants violated her civil rights and caused her to be less effective in her job.
Professor Gustavo Moura-Letts is accused in court papers of repeatedly making derogatory statements to his students about Octavia Nash, an adviser in the Chemistry Department who has worked at the school since 2012, according to a complaint filed this week in U.S. District Court.
“I don’t know why she’s here, she doesn’t do anything,” Moura-Letts allegedly said to the students. “Nash is useless; students do not need to visit her office; she’s overpaid and doesn’t deserve the salary she makes.”
The comments by Moura-Letts were motivated by race and gender, according to the lawsuit. Nash is one of two Black women in the department, the suit states.
