Purdue University’s faculty senate has renewed calls for the resignation of Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon after he mocked Asian languages during a graduation ceremony in December 2022.
During the ceremony, a speaker briefly mentioned a made-up language he used to speak with his family in his speech. After the speech, Keon spoke and made several noises.
“That’s sort of my Asian version of his,” Keon said with a laugh, appearing to reference the speaker’s made-up language.
The clip of Keon’s racist mockery went viral on social media and soon Asian American groups were calling for his resignation. In December, the Purdue Board of Trustees issued a statement backing Keon.
“Our Board of Trustees, which oversees the entire Purdue system, including our regional campuses of Purdue Fort Wayne and Purdue Northwest, when made aware of the insensitive and unacceptable remarks made by Chancellor Keon at a Dec. 10 commencement ceremony, asked for an immediate apology,” Purdue University spokesman Tim Doty told the Post-Tribune in an email Tuesday. “Chancellor Keon has provided that apology and his plan to ensure this does not happen again, which you have already seen. Trustees have accepted the apology.”
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The faculty senate, however, does not want to Keon continue in his role. According to IDS News, the Purdue Northwest Faculty Senate surveyed 155 tenured, tenure-track, clinical and administrative faculty, and 135 people voted “no-confidence.” The no-confidence vote was presented at January 20 meeting which Keon did not attend. Thomas Roach, Purdue Northwest Faculty Senate chair told the Board of Trustees that Keon failed to attend three more meetings.
According to WBAA-AM, the full Purdue Faculty Senate is renewing calls for Keon’s resignation. Around 80% of senate members across all Purdue campuses have voice support for a resolution that calls for Keon to resign or be removed by the Board of Trustees.
“This would demonstrate Purdue’s support for diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the resolution said, according to WBAA-AM. “To not do so would send the opposite message.”
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If Keon refuse to accept responsibility and do the work to change, then he hasn’t learned anything and will not change. Purdue has an environment where Keon felt empowered to make those racist comments and for the staff to laugh along. His paper “apology” was self-promotion.
Purdue’s leadership ignored the faculty senate’s overwhelming vote of no confidence in Keon. If the Purdue president and board of trustees will not take action to remove Keon, then they are a part of the problem. The faculty senate should now take a vote about their confidence of the university President and board of trustees. The president of Hamlin just stepped down after their own public controversy. Hamlin’s faculty voted overwhelmingly that the university’s poor handling greatly damaged the university’s reputation. Purdue should take a lesson from Hamlin. It is time for the president, board of trustees, and Keon to all be removed.
Well said and immaculately thought out.
Is it a Purdue-only mindset? A Midwest mindset?