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A biology professor at Oxnard College, a community college in California, has been put on administrative leave after a video surfaced of him speaking disdainfully and sarcastically to a hard-of-hearing student, ABC7 reported.
“You can hear me a little bit? Why didn’t you answer all the times I spoke to you then?” the professor, Michael Abram, asked the student in the video.
He then tells her to set up a meeting between the two of them and her counselor.
Another student in the class chimed in to say that the first student was hard of hearing and could not answer immediately because she used a translator.
“She’s not paying attention, she’s not trying,” Abram responded, before saying that the translator could teach the class to her and ending the conversation with a “whatever” in an exaggerated voice.
In a press conference, the Ventura County Community College District announced that Abram has been put on administrative leave following an investigation. He is a tenured professor.
"We do not tolerate discriminatory, rude or bullying behavior," said Chancellor Greg Gillespie.
Luis Sanchez, acting president of Oxnard, told ABC7 that the video was heartbreaking. "No matter what led up to that interaction, there's no justification," he said.
Abram did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
