Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Should Professor Be Fired For Joking About The Aurora Shootings?
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 16, 2012
Modified Aug 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 16, 2012
Modified Aug 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A professor at the United States Merchant Marine Academy has been suspended and is facing dismissal after making a joke about last month's shootings in Aurora, Colorado. According to internal documents reviewed by the Times, shortly before professor Gregory Sullivan showed a film to his class, he dimmed the lights and said, “If someone with orange hair appears in the corner of the room, run for the exit." The father of one of Sullivan's students was killed in the shootings, and the student reportedly left the room upset.
Sullivan, a tenured professor at the Long Island academy since 2006, made a "quick and remorseful admission" of guilt, and a "personal apology immediately following the incident." Dean Shashi Kumar wrote in a "notice of proposed removal" that those steps are not enough, and that he should be fired: “I find there is no lesser sanction to effectively address this misconduct."
Kumar argues that because Sullivan received an academy-wide email about the student—who missed class for several days—and because other students had permission to miss class to attend a funeral, the professor "reasonably should have been aware."
Sullivan has ten days to contest his firing. A senior program officer in the department of academic freedom for the American Association of University Professors, B. Robert Kreiser, said that tenured professors usually have a hearing before dismissal, as part of the "generally accepted principles of tenure."
Kreiser adds that suspending a professor usually only happens when they are a "threat" to themselves or their students. “Given that it was a single remark—an indefensible remark, but nonetheless a single remark, for which he has apologized—it’s hard to imagine why the administration decided he should be suspended."
Tagged
aurora shootings
colorado massacre
colorado shootings
gregory sullivan
james holmes
long island
united states merchant marine academy
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
Because he doesn't need that many bikes, here are your early links: NYC Ferry fares could be going up, Hell's Kitchen climbing gym closing, Jalen Brunson just wasn't that funny on SNL and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
Because he doesn't need that many bikes, here are your early links: NYC Ferry fares could be going up, Hell's Kitchen climbing gym closing, Jalen Brunson just wasn't that funny on SNL and more.
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by Subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
Plan to modernize NYC's diesel-spewing produce market falls apart under Mamdani
By
Elizabeth Kim
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .