Dive Brief:
- American River College Professor Geoffrey Stockdale's interpersonal communications class was the site of a martial arts demonstration that left a former student injured after hitting his head on the floor and bleeding.
- A cellphone video of the Oct. 14 incident found its way to YouTube, fueling controversy at the community college as it shows Stockdale watching in the background and failing to intervene.
- Stockdale, who was scheduled to teach several courses this semester, was since placed on paid leave and colleagues have voluntarily taken over his course load.
Dive Insight:
This is one of those situations where you have to wonder what someone was thinking. Was this demonstration necessary for students to learn about interpersonal communications? Without knowing the context it was presented in during the class period, it's hard to say. Stockdale insists that the whole incident, "a minor mishap," has been "sensationalized" Still, it might be a good idea to rethink that part of the syllabus in the future.