Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro expressed “deep concerns” on Tuesday over a series of pejorative tweets issued by Professor Randa Jarrar in reaction to former First Lady Barbara Bush’s death.
Bush passed away on Tuesday. She as 92.
“On behalf of Fresno State, I extend my deepest condolences to the Bush family on the loss of our former First Lady Barbara Bush,” Castro wrote in a public statement. “We share the deep concerns expressed by others over the personal comments made today by Professor Randa Jarrar, a professor in the English Department at Fresno State.”
Jarrar, who teaches in the English department, tweeted on Tuesday that the former First Lady “was a generous and smart and amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal.” She added, “Fuck outta here with your nice words.”
In his statement, Castro added, “Professor Jarrar’s expressed personal views and commentary are obviously contrary to the core values of our university, which include respect and empathy for individuals with divergent points of view, and a sincere commitment to mutual understanding and progress.”
According to the Fresno Bee, Jarrar encouraged her critics to tag Castro in tweets, and wrote, “What I love about being an American professor is my right to free speech, and what I love about Fresno State is that I always feel protected and at home here. GO BULLDOGS!”
Jarrar reportedly taunted her critics by writing that she is a is a tenured professor and makes $100,000 a year and said, “I will never be fired.”
Jarrar’s Twitter account says she is “Currently on leave from Fresno State.”
Fresno State told Breitbart News that Professor Jarrar has “requested a leave” for the spring semester and will not be teaching classes.
Bush received accolades or praise and respect from leaders across the political spectrum:
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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