Prof. Rick Coupland no longer at St. Lawrence College after alleged homophobic remark
An Ontario college has placed one of its professors on leave with pay as it conducts an investigation into a homophobic comment posted online. WARNING: This story contains offensive language.
WARNING: This story contains offensive language
An Ontario college announced one of its professors "is no longer an employee" at the school after he allegedly posted a homophobic comment on Facebook.
St. Lawrence College said it had received a complaint about the recent comment that business professor Rick Coupland allegedly posted on Facebook. Spokeswoman Kelly Wiley called the comment "deeply concerning."
"As a result of complaints about comments made on social media that were brought forward to the College, this matter was investigated internally. Mr. Coupland is no longer an employee at St. Lawrence College," the school tweeted on Tuesday.
Screenshots of an alleged post by Coupland circulating on social media purport to show him sharing a link to a story about a rainbow flag being raised in St. Petersburg, Fla., accompanied with the comment, "It's the queers they should be hanging, not the flag."
The Facebook account appeared to have been deleted by Tuesday.
Coupland did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
St. Lawrence College, which has campuses in Brockville, Cornwall and Kingston, says the comments are not a reflection of its values. It said it has strict policies which guide the conduct of its employees.
1 of 2: As a result of complaints about comments made on social media that were brought forward to the College,
—@whatsinsideslc2 of 2: this matter was investigated internally. Mr. Coupland is no longer an employee at St. Lawrence College.
—@whatsinsideslcWith files from Canadian Press