CEO and Chancellor Thomas Keon of Purdue University Northwest is under fire for allegedly mocking Asian languages during the university’s commencement ceremony. The faculty senate is demanding his resignation.

The incident happened on December 10. Keon has apologized. “I made a comment that was offensive and insensitive,” Keon said. “I am truly sorry for my unplanned, off-the-cuff response to another speaker, as my words have caused confusion, pain and anger.”

Keon’s off-the-cuff remark was a response to the previous speaker, keynote speaker James Dedelow, who spoke about a made-up language he uses on a radio show he hosts with his family. Keon delivered an impression of a made-up language – “sort of my Asian version.”

In case you haven't already seen it, here's the moment when Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon spouts Asian-sounding gibberish at a commencement ceremony last week. pic.twitter.com/vtsPX2I164

— Joe Paul (@joesampaul) December 19, 2022

As you can see, the people seated on the stage laughed and clearly Keon was just being silly, not malicious. Was it a dumb thing to do in front of the university audience? Yes. It showed poor judgement in his choice of humor and now the woke mob is coming to cancel him. In this case, it is members of the faculty who want him to lose his job over it.

The open letter signed by eight members of the senate’s executive committee called for Keon to step down because the remark insulted Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the “inexcusable behavior caused national and international outrage.”

“His behavior does not reflect the diversity and inclusiveness that Purdue faculty, staff and students value,” said the letter released Friday.

The controversy has spread to other communities outside of the university. More than 5,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for Keon’s resignation.

“It’s time to step down and he has to own it. Boilermakers deserve better than this,” said Rupal Thanawala, president of Asian American Alliance Inc.

Thanawala said she added her signature to the petition after watching video of a Dec. 10 commencement ceremony for graduates from Purdue’s northern campus.

“It was hurtful and such disrespectful behavior from such a joyous occasion. My heart went out to students and families,” Thanawala said.

The university’s Board of Trustees, which oversees all campuses in the Purdue system, is aware of Keon’s comments, according to a Purdue University spokesperson, and they accepted Keon’s apology. However, members of the faculty senate are not pleased about that. The chair of the faculty senate in particular is not taking no for an answer about the demand for Keon’s resignation.

“It’s absurd and they’ve really escalated the problem because here you have a chancellor who makes this offensive statement and you’ve got a Board of Trustees that’s saying, ‘No big deal,'” said Professor Thomas Roach, chair of the school’s faculty senate.

Roach has asked the school’s faculty for a no-confidence vote on Keon’s continued position as chancellor.

“I’m sure he’s going to get a vote of no confidence. I’m sure my colleagues of this university are intolerant of what he did,” Roach said.

The latest call for Keon to step down comes after Roach said he personally asked Keon to resign, after hand-delivering a statement from the school’s senate executive committee requesting the same thing.

When that didn’t happen by Monday, Roach said it was time to take the next step.

“We’re not going to let this go until it’s resolved,” Roach said, explaining that for him and other faculty members his consulted, resolution will come when Keon is no longer the school’s chancellor.

No tolerance is allowed, apparently, on this campus when someone makes a dumb mistake. Whatever happened to grace, the ability to accept a sincere apology? There is no indication that Keon has any kind of history making racist remarks or jokes. One innocent joke and he has to go. Granted, he made the joke at the worst possible time but it’s hard to believe that he should lose his job for a temporary lapse in good judgement. Yet, here he is.

In his apology, Keon detailed efforts the university has made to improve diversity and equity while welcoming students and staff from various cultural backgrounds. He spoke favorably of the university’s efforts. And, he acknowledged he is only human. Everyone makes mistakes.

“We are all human. I made a mistake, and I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values,” Keon also said, vowing to learn from the incident.

I think the guy should be given a break. He’s a first-time offender and he seems to have just been caught up in the silliness referenced by the previous speaker. Feelings are raw, though, especially since the coronavirus pandemic brought about an increase in attacks against Asian-Americans, according to the federal government. Would this hubbub be going on if he had spouted some jibberish in a Southern accent? Just a thought.