Morehouse employee fired for e-mail

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Morehouse College has fired a woman and reprimanded another for discriminatory comments made via their work e-mail accounts.

The fired woman worked as an administrative assistant in the president’s office, according to reports. After receiving an e-mail forward that included wedding photos of a gay couple, she forwarded the e-mail to others and made comments that were considered discriminatory.

In a statement released Thursday, Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Morehouse’s president, announced that “the college has disciplined the persons involved in the incident, and one of the implicated employees is no longer with the college.”

The employees were not identified in Franklin's statement. Morehouse College has a no-tolerance position on discrimination, said Franklin.

“The views expressed in the e-mail entitled, ‘The WTD of the Week,' (September 28, 2009) were the personal views of one individual and do not reflect the values or policies of Morehouse College,” he said in the statement. “The College has taken great strides toward building a diverse and tolerant community.”

Since becoming president in 2007, Franklin has, on occasion, expressed his point-of-view on tolerance and discrimination. In an address to the students in April, he suggested that the men of Morehouse expand their views in the areas of diversity.

He said, “As an all-male institution with the explicit mission of educating men with disciplined minds, the great challenge of this moment in history is our diversity of sexual orientation.”

He suggested straight students should make attempts to understand gay men and their contributions.

“Read a book by a gay author. Have an intelligent conversation with a gay neighbor,” he said in the address. “Diversity at Morehouse is an opportunity that can enrich your education if you are courageous enough to seize the opportunity.”