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Last Thursday, a two-minute video – split into three parts for TikTok – surfaced showing a Zoom recording of a physiology class at Oxnard College that day taught by Professor Michael Abram, identified in the video by name and by a student. in his class.
CNN has contacted Abram several times by email and phone, but has not received a response.
When the posted video begins, it’s not clear whether the professor knows the student, who later identifies in the video as being hard of hearing, needs help hearing. CNN is not naming the student because she refused to speak to us.
He asks the student, who says she hears him a bit, why she hasn’t answered.
“Can you hear me a little? Asks Abram.” Why haven’t you answered all the times I spoke to you then?
The student tries to answer, but Abram continues to talk about her.
“I’m hard of hearing,” she said in response to Abram.
“Why don’t we talk sometimes? Why not send me an e-mail? We will set up Live Zoom and we will have real communication at some point, ”he said. “Maybe you could ask your advisor to join us, OK? Can you hear me? OK, wonderful, do that,” he said.
After this interaction, another student in the Zoom class says that the student is hard of hearing and cannot respond right away.
“She doesn’t care, she doesn’t try,” Abram said.
The other student says: “It’s slower on her end because she needs to have it translated and then he goes to her audition.”
Abram tells the hard of hearing student to “ask your counselor to talk to me because you have too much distraction to even understand what’s going on.”
“Yes, I do it because my translator is next to me and explains everything you say to me,” she replies.
Abram suggests to the student’s translator to teach him how to move forward.
“Ask them to teach you, the whole class, that makes sense to me,” he said. “I don’t know, I don’t understand it,” adding that he saw the hearing impaired student “laughing” and “laughing” with someone else and not paying attention. She replies that she is in a good mood.
Abram continues to repeatedly ask her to have her “advisor” speak to her, which she agrees to, but says she feels like he is “attacking” her.
“I’m not attacking you, I’m not attacking you,” he said. “I’m just very disappointed with you. That’s all, that’s all. I’m not attacking you.”
The professor is now on administrative leave, the college said in a statement. “I am saddened and outraged beyond words that any of our students should either be or feel looked down upon by one of our employees,” Acting President Luiz Sanchez said in a statement on Twitter.
The video was intended for admins to review
Sarah Rand, a student in Abram’s class, took the original video which was later posted on TikTok by someone she described as a family friend.
Rand told CNN she took the video with the intention of sending it to administrators to show the behavior and comments she said she and other students saw during Abram’s class. this semester.
When asked at a press conference on Monday whether any previous complaints had been made against Abram, the directors said they could not comment as it is part of the investigation.
Abram was hired as a full-time full professor in the fall of 2004 as a professor of biology, but has taught anatomy and physiology classes at Oxnard College, according to Art Sandford, vice president of academic affairs. and student learning.
“The Ventura County Community College District is opposed to any language or behavior that is offensive or prejudicial to anyone because of their gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability. “Chairman of the Board Joshua Chancer said in the statement. “The comments in the video do not reflect the District’s values of integrity and honesty in deed and word, respect and the constant search for excellence.
The National Association of the Deaf said students who are deaf and hard of hearing vary in what they need in the classroom, including interpreters, subtitles and devices to help them.
“The use of interpreters or closed captioning typically causes additional time for the deaf or hard of hearing student to receive all information and then be able to respond,” CEO Howard A. Rosenblum said in a statement. “So professors need to be patient and accommodate this extra time, instead of berating these students.”
Administrators say campuses can make learning accommodations
The investigation could take up to 90 days, Greg Gillespie, district chancellor of the Ventura County Community College, said at a press briefing Monday.
“The instructor has the right to due process under the law, so it is his constitutional right as a permanent public employee and he will therefore be on paid leave until the investigation is completed and we can determine what the findings tell us, ”said Laura Lizaola Barroso, vice chancellor of human resources at the Ventura County Community College District.
CNN has contacted the Academic Senate at Oxnard College, which has a voice in student and faculty affairs.
Administrators said they told students the district was able to accommodate any kind of learning aid needed. They said it was important for students to make their needs known to teachers or staff at the education support center.
The hard of hearing student’s home college is Moorpark, another of Ventura’s campuses, according to administrators at the briefing. It is not uncommon for a student to take classes on other campuses, especially now, when the majority of classes have been taken online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We know the student was in contact with the people at Moorpark College’s Educational Support Center (EAC). However, we are still reviewing the student’s status to see if housing was requested or not. for this course from Oxnard College, “Gillespie said.
Administrators said they were in the process of meeting and reaching out to affected students.
Rand said at first that she was concerned that sharing the video with administrators could endanger her degree and grades, but said without it they wouldn’t know what’s going on with a faculty member.
“We hope we’ve created an environment in which people are comfortable coming forward so these can be resolved,” Gillespie said. This incident is an example of unacceptable behavior that occurs in a video and we will investigate and take it seriously. ”
The administration said it was also proud of the other student who spoke on behalf of the hearing-impaired student.
Rand said she never thought the video would be received on social media the way she did.
“No matter what this person did, I don’t think his reputation should be buried like millions of people hate him. It wasn’t my intention,” she said.
“I did this so that other people would show that when you see something wrong, don’t just stay silent because it’s abuse that is happening that needs to stop,” Rand said. “Do not be afraid. Speak for the truth.”
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