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An instructor who multiple students said used a racial slur in the classroom will not teach for the remainder of the semester, a Syracuse University spokesperson told The Daily Orange.

Students in the class told The D.O. that Steven Warshaw, who joined the university in January, used the N-word while teaching SPM 225, “Managing the Sport Organization,” on Mar. 26. Warshaw — an adjunct professor who had been teaching in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics — used the slur while discussing recent changes to the branding of professional sports organizations, such as the Washington Commanders, to be less offensive, students said.

“He used two examples, he said ‘the New York Jews’ and ‘the Chicago N-words’ (and he) used the hard R,” said one student who wished to remain anonymous. “It kinda just shook the whole class because it was like, how is he going to throw out that word without any remorse?”

Regardless of whether Warshaw was using an example of what would not be allowed in the NFL, there was “no academic justification” for using the slur, they said.

“This was not something he read from a book,” said another student who also asked to remain anonymous. “He had to think about what he was going to say and then say it.”

The student said Warshaw’s use of the racial slur was the “peak” of his inappropriate conduct throughout the semester. The student said Warshaw, who graduated from SU in 1981, also used language that was sexist and offensive to Indigenous people while teaching the class.

Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan and Associate Dean of Student Services Chandice Haste-Jackson met with the class and told students there would be a different instructor for the rest of the semester, the university spokesperson told The D.O.

The second student who spoke with The D.O. said Jordan and Haste-Jackson attended the class Thursday. They were appreciative of the college’s quick response, adding that the deans facilitated “a great conversation.” On Tuesday, the class had a new instructor.

A student majoring in sports management in a different section of the class taught by Warshaw said the adjunct professor continuously made students uncomfortable.

“He made a (Shohei Ohtani) joke to an Asian kid who sits in the back of the class, and then did a comment about (Yao Ming) to the same guy,” the sports management major wrote in a text to The D.O. “(He also made a) sexist comment about how women dress in the sports world specifically with sideline reporting.”

Warshaw is the founder and creative director of Universal Sports Marketing. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Penguins, managing the team’s investment in Moscow’s premiere hockey program during the post-Soviet period, according to USM’s website.

Warshaw did not respond to The D.O.’s request for comment.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on April 2, 2024 at 2:33 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard