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Michigan State University is apologizing for an offensive survey sent out by one of its faculty members. The associate professor of advertising and public relations, Saleem Alhabash, has also said he’s sorry for the survey, which he and students designed and deployed to study public reactions to obscenities and slurs.
"If we come to the table with an open heart with the willingness to listen, to empathize and sympathize with one another, then we'll be able to actually reflect on the reality but also move forward," Alhabash told WILX 10, the local NBC affiliate. He said the survey was sent to random students and included a disclaimer about the content, but nonetheless it offended many.
One survey item said, for example, “If immigration had its way, I’d be speaking Spanish and living in the inner city selling drugs.”
Samuel Stanley, university president, said in a statement that the incident has "disrupted a sense of safety that should exist for everyone. Building inclusive communities is at the core of our values, and the impact of recent events cannot be underestimated."
